


A Thief's Folly

by headofmarimo



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akira's a flirtatious bastard, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Blood, Eventual Romance, Historical Inaccuracies, Injury Recovery, M/M, Partners to Lovers, Ryuji's just trying to run his ship, Scars, Violence, look forward to smut in the future
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-02-27 20:13:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 34,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13255782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/headofmarimo/pseuds/headofmarimo
Summary: It was supposed to be simple.Go in, snatch the treasure, get out.But now here he is, working with the very pirates he had tried to steal from while a relentless bounty hunter is hot on their trail.Ah well, at least the captain is cute.(AU in which Ryuji is the captain of a pirate ship and Akira is a thief who gets caught trying to steal from him.Based on ryujiicepop’s awesome pirate AU!)





	1. The Approaching Storm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ryujiicepop](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryujiicepop/gifts).



> (Hey guys! Wow oh wow has this been something I've wanted to write!  
> All ideas are from the wonderful ryujiicepop's pirate au! Check out his art blog on Tumblr (junkjack) if you haven't, tis really good stuff!!! :3  
> you can read about his pirate au here https://twitter.com/ryujiicepop/status/856015415608324100  
> hope you enjoy reading!)

If one were to travel to the seedy outskirts of the city and give only a passing glance at their surroundings, one might miss the small, unassuming bar that was nestled away between the compact and sooty buildings that towered above it. Rain pattered softly against the roof of the bar, water seeping through the cracks of broken shingles where it would inevitably make its way inside, and the chipped wooden sign that read _Leblanc Pub_ above the door swung somberly on rusted hinges against the chilling wind.

Usually, the pub was filled with at least a handful of people looking for cheap spirits and comfort, but today the weather had driven everyone back into the shelter of their homes, a dead silence broken only by the sound of the rain indicating that the bar was devoid of patrons.

A lone figure, obscured from view and protected from the rain by a hooded black cloak, stood outside of the bar. It pushed open the door and stepped inside.

As expected, the room was empty; chairs were still tidily tucked beneath their respective tables, and at the counter sat the bartender reading a novel.

The bartender looked up at the sound of the door swinging open, only to resume reading once he saw who had entered.

“Back already, Akira?” asked the bartender casually while the figure removed its cloak.

Akira didn’t respond, occupied in wringing out the sopping garment. He tossed his cloak aside onto a table where it landed with a wet thud, and a heavy exhale escaped from his lips as he slid himself into an empty chair, eyes closing shut while the chair creaked beneath him.

“I take it your little… endeavor must’ve gone well then.” remarked the bartender.

Akira cracked an eye open and gazed wearily at the bartender with a proud smirk on his face. “You know it. A little more tricky than the last one, but nothing I couldn’t handle.”

“Hmph, no surprise there I suppose. While the word of the ‘gentleman thief’ is going around every noble in the city must be working to tighten up security in their homes.” the bartender closed his novel and stood up. He walked behind the counter and took an empty glass from the shelf. “That aside, you want something to drink kid? Might help in getting rid of the chill.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Sojiro.”

While Sojiro was occupied in fixing him a drink Akira allowed himself to doze off in the chair, exhaustion finally catching up to him completely. Suddenly, the sound of heavy stomping caused him to snap into full alert, and when he opened his eyes he saw a young woman rushing down the stairs that led to the storage room above the bar. The young woman skidded to a halt once she reached the bottom step, and upon seeing Akira she sighed in relief, the frantic expression on her face dissipating into a pleased smile.

“Welcome back, Akira!” she beamed.

“Hey there, Futaba.”

Futaba bounded over towards Akira and pulled up a chair so that she could sit beside him. She removed the trench coat from the table, scrunching up her nose when she touched the cold and damp cloth, before feeling around each of the numerous pockets that lined the inside of the cloak. Once she confirmed that there was a considerable weight to each one, Futaba grinned in satisfaction before bundling up the cloak again and setting it back on the table.

“I’m feeling a pretty good haul in there, Akira, but we can check how much it really is upstairs. Did you use a bag at all either? Oh wait, don’t tell me…”

She glanced down expectantly at Akira’s gloved hands, and Akira rolled his eyes before holding up his hands and patting them together, a muffled but noticeable jingling resounding from each one.

“Never fails to impress,” teased Futaba. “As expected of the ‘gentleman thief’!”

“That’s _thieves_ to you. After all, what good would these heists be without you as the cunning planner to aid me?” added Akira.

Futaba smiled and chuckled bashfully at Akira’s praise, and Akira gave a cheeky smirk in return.

“Seriously though, if it hadn’t been for the escape routes you planned out I definitely would’ve lost my head several times over back there.”

“Just don’t start to get too comfortable,” warned Sojiro while he set Akira’s drink on the table, wisps of steam curling up from the glass. “You never know when even those might fall through.”

“Aw, Sojiro. Do you really think I’d ever slack off and risk putting Akira in danger?” objected Futaba with a pout while Akira took a sip of his drink; the blend of spices left a sweet, sharp taste in his mouth that seemed to burn away all of his fatigue.

“Of course not, but there are things in life that are beyond control, so just be wary, okay?”

“Don’t worry so much Sojiro. If I wasn’t careful I would’ve gotten caught a long time ago.” stated Akira dismissively.

Sojiro carried away his emptied glass once he was finished, and while he was cleaning it Futaba hopped out of her chair and bundled up the cloak in her arms. “So, now that you’re back, let’s go upstairs and see how much you actually managed to snatch!” she marched up the stairs, and Akira thanked Sojiro again for the drink before following after her.

The two of them sat down on Akira’s bed, a worn mattress placed in the corner of the storage room, before Futaba started to take out an assortment of items from the pockets. Precious jewels, golden ornaments, and a variety of other valuables fell onto the floor with a clatter, and after the pockets of the cloak were completely emptied Akira pulled off his gloves to reveal the glinting mass of coins he had concealed in each one.

Futaba scanned over the pile of treasure, eyes sparkling. “ _Whoa_ , Akira, this is probably the best haul we’ve had yet!”

“I’m getting better with experience, I guess.”

“Yeah, no kidding! In fact, if you’re starting to get this good, then I think we should—” Futaba abruptly cut herself off. She hesitated before shaking her head and rummaging through the pile. “A-anyways, let’s start dividing it up. So, we keep this share, and then we can distribute this much to the people—”

“Futaba,” interrupted Akira, “What were you going to say?”

“N-nothing! I was just thinking that, maybe…” she trailed off, brows furrowed together. “No, it’s probably for the best that I don’t say.”

“Oh, come on. What’d you have in mind? Is it a new target?” inquired Akira. Futaba silently nodded her head. “Well that’s nothing to worry about. You know how well we’ve done in all of these heists. Why would this one be any different?”

“I mean, we just finished one heist, so I thought you’d be kind of tired out, and the one I thought of is running on a time restriction that’s coming up soon…”

Time restriction? Akira was really intrigued now. “Futaba, who exactly is it that you want to steal from?”

Futaba still didn’t answer, her eyes downcast, so Akira gently patted her on the shoulder while giving a reassuring smile. “Look Futaba, it’s fine; don’t take Sojiro’s words so close to heart. If anything, I’d honestly love a real challenge for once. I mean, judging from earlier, the bigger the challenge, the more loot we get from it.” he joked as he motioned towards the treasure strewn across the floor.

Futaba glanced at him, eyes still filled with uncertainty. “Are you sure?”

“Of course.”

Futaba gave a small smile, and Akira removed his hand from her shoulder now that he saw she was more at ease. She took a deep breath, “Okay then. So, the target I had in mind,” started Futaba dramatically, pausing a moment for effect which caused Akira to chuckle. “Is none other than the notorious… _Adventure Galley_!”

Akira went silent once he heard that.

He stared at Futaba, eyes wide open. “You’re serious.”

“Mhm, absolutely.”

“ _The_ Adventure Galley, one of the most infamous pirate ships to ever sail the seas, which is run by _the_ legendary pirate captain Himari Sakamoto.”

“That’s the one.”

Akira continued to gawk at Futaba. A moment passed, and finally Akira could help but burst into laughter, collapsing back onto the bed and clutching his sides.

“Um, so I take it that even you think it’s way out of our reach?” asked Futaba sheepishly while she watched Akira’s laughing fit.

Akira forced himself to stifle his chuckles before pushing himself back into a sitting position. “S-sorry, sorry, I was just really… ah, unsure of how else to react.” he grinned at Futaba. “This is by far the craziest scheme we’ve come up with. Let’s do it.”

Futaba nodded her head.

“Good, then we can get started planning right away.”

She quickly organized the rest of the loot, and after she was done Futaba then pulled out a large roll of paper from her bag.

“So now that you’ve agreed to it, I can tell you all the info I have so far.”

She uncoiled the roll of paper to reveal a neatly detailed map.

“I wasn’t even scouting around when I found this target. It just so happened that a couple of the Sakamoto’s own crew members walked right into the bar one evening. From the way they were talking they didn’t want Sojiro to hear them, but they didn’t notice me eavesdropping. I overheard them complaining about how the storm was delaying their voyage and that captain _Sakamoto_ was being careless trying to wait it out by the cove. It was something about how the navy was bound to catch them at any moment, so they definitely weren’t law-abiding men if they were afraid of that.”

She pointed to an area close to the shore on the map. “Now judging that practically all of this area is patrolled by the navy and the fact that the Adventure Galley would be a rather large ship, I figured that the only area a ship of that size could even dock would be just about…” she scooted her finger down the map. “ _Here._ ”

“Seriously? That’s not even a day’s walk from where we are,” noted Akira as he observed the location.

“Exactly. _Plus_ , since people have seen the Adventure Galley before, I already know what kind of ship it is too,” she pulled out another roll of paper from her bag and unfurled it to reveal the design. “It probably won’t be exactly the same, but this gives us more than enough of a guideline to work with. Using all of this, we can start as early as tomorrow.”

Akira scanned over the design, hardly daring to believe how well this was all coming together. “You know, Futaba, for a second I thought this was actually supposed to be extremely difficult.”

“You still have to watch out for Sakamoto’s crewmembers,” reminded Futaba. “But honestly, I actually kind of agree. I mean, imagine how it’s going to look when the infamous Adventure Galley pirates get their own loot snatched from right under their noses!.” She grinned deviously at him. “Heh, stealing from those who steal. Ironic, isn’t it?”

Akira grinned back at her. “Ha, isn’t that what we normally do already?”

They spent the rest of the evening planning out an infiltration route, and Akira found himself in high spirits by the end. Futaba waved at him in farewell before heading down the stairs, and as Akira slumped back onto his bed, eyes growing steadily heavier while the rain outside continued to fall and drip into the corners of the storage room, he couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed that there wasn’t anything particularly special about this heist, aside from being on a ship instead of in the usual manor:

If all goes well, it would simply turn out just like any other theft.

* * *

 

A downpour fell from the sky the next day; streams of dirtied water flowed down the streets of the city, and as Akira traveled along the cobblestone paths a splash of water would spray against his boots with each step while the bag he carried eagerly soaked up the falling rain. Eventually the buildings started to thin out, and trekking onwards Akira finally reached the muddied ground of the shore, the sand underneath his feet churning as he walked.

Thankfully he had reached his destination before night had fallen, and from the pouring torrents of rain Akira could make out the faint outline of a ship looming over the bay, its shape bobbing up and down in the choppy gray waves of the cove.

Now the real fun could begin.

He approached the ship, grateful that the rain provided a cover-up for him, and kept walking until he could clearly see the top of the deck. Upon closer inspection it didn’t look like anyone was even there keeping watch.

This was almost too easy.

Akira didn’t see any straightforward means of getting on the ship (they were at least attentive enough to get rid of that), but he had anticipated that in advance. The thief plopped his bag onto the ground, pulled out the grappling hook he had packed, and slung the rope over the side of the boat. He pulled on the rope a few times to ensure that the metal hook had latched firmly into the wooden railing of the ship and then started his climb up, cautious not to slip off the rope which was slick from the rain. Once Akira reached the deck of the ship he took one more glance to check that no one was around before hauling himself onto the ship. With the design of the ship etched into his mind, Akira quickly made his way down to the route he had planned out with Futaba while he shoved the grappling hook back into his bag.

Things got a bit more challenging once he reached the lower decks; he had stolen some clothes from the quarters to help him blend in when he couldn’t avoid contact, but it still bothered him that the entire damn crew seemed to be on board with at least a person or two in every room he needed to enter. Some of them were easy enough to sneak past, but others he had to stand tall and act as if he belonged there, trying to walk past the person as briskly as he could without them catching a good glimpse of his face and noticing anything suspicious. At one point someone pointed to his bag and asked what was inside, and Akira nearly had a heart attack, quickly making an excuse about how it was some supplies he was ordered to bring to the captain. He walked away before the person could inquire any further about it or properly see his face.

And then, finally, _finally_ , Akira reached the cargo room. The thief stepped into the room and stood in awe of the sight before him: mounds upon mounds of glittering gold, jewels, and other valuables greeted him, some piles standing almost as tall as Akira himself.

He didn’t hesitate.

Akira practically dove into the nearest pile, stuffing his bag with as much loot it could carry, and once he was done he hoisted the bag over his shoulder again, the weight bearing heavily against him.

It would be impossible for him to avoid any of the rooms he previously visited, but even if he did draw attention to himself it would be easy to lose anyone on his tail once he got off the deck, the city being not too far away from the cove.

He made his way back, body tense in preparation for the time to run, but when he reached the lower decks again he was surprised to see a pirate run by him instead with a panicked expression on his face. More followed suit after him, all in a clamber to head to the main deck.

“We’ve been found!” he heard one pirate shout angrily. “That damn bastard Akechi somehow managed to find us again! Hurry and raise the sails before he gets here!”

 _What_.

Oh no. This was definitely not good.

Akira rushed after them, acting like he was also trying to help, but as soon as he made it to the upper deck he turned and headed straight for the railing of the ship.

He bounded forward, one foot already slung over the railing, the stinging rain and howling wind whipping against him, and then—

Akira felt his other foot slide out from underneath him, his head falling backwards and slamming against the wet planks.

He also felt the bag split open beneath him, some of the treasure spilling out onto the deck with the noticeable clinking of metal.

The weight of at least twenty gazes were upon him.

“Thief!” he heard an enraged voice call out. “Don’t let him get away!”

Akira tried to scrabble back up and jump over the railing, but before he could several hands seized him and pulled him back towards the ship.

 _No, no, no_ …

Akira found himself pinned against the deck by several pirates, his struggles futile against them. His vision was blurry due to pain and the spatter of heavy rain falling upon his face, and through his squinted eyelids Akira could see the blurred outline of a person looming over him.

“Of all the damn times to find a thief on my ship.” he heard a low voice growl. “We’re too far from shore to throw him off. Lock him away for now.”

“Understood, Captain Sakamoto!”

The hands started to drag him away, and as Akira slowly recovered from the pain his vision began to regain some of its clarity. He looked up, shocked to see not a fearsome woman glaring back at him but a young man who looked even to be the same age as himself.

He continued to stare at the other man, eyes momentarily locking onto the single brown eye that stared scornfully back. Akira couldn’t help but smirk at him, and he saw the look of confusion that broke through the captain’s face before he was dragged out of sight.

Well, that confirmed some things at least:

The Adventure Galley was under the command of a new rookie captain.

And he still had a chance to get out of this mess.


	2. The Trickster's Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Hey guys! Back at it again with chapter 2!  
> Once again major thanks to the awesome ryujiicepop for letting me write this!! You can read about his pirate au here https://twitter.com/ryujiicepop/status/856015415608324100  
> Hope you enjoy reading! :D)

Akira had never been on a ship before.

Well, not from what he could remember at least. Maybe there was some time he had traveled overseas with his parents when they had still wanted him, but such a memory would’ve been far beyond his mind’s reach now, and the earliest he could still recall was roaming around the streets as a child pickpocketing from inattentive pedestrians until Sojiro took him in. From then on it was nothing but targeting lavish mansions that were embellished with eye-straining, glittering grandeur that only the excessively wealthy could ever display, so to Akira the change of scenery was quite refreshing, ignoring the fact that it had to be seen through a set of prison bars.

They had shackled his hands together and thrown him into the brig before rushing back up to the main deck, and as he sat on the wooden floor Akira could hear indistinct voices shouting overhead jumbled with the crashing rain and occasional clap of thunder, the ship lurching back and forth against the turbulent waves. His mind was racing as he tried to think of a way to escape, but there was nothing he could do without his bag, and he finally gave up when he realized that for the first time during a heist he had become completely trapped; it looked like he would have to rely on his fallback plan after all and hope that the captain was naive enough to exploit. That is, if they were still alive by the time the storm had passed.

Akira casually observed the heavy iron chains binding his wrists and wondered if he had finally reached the end, doomed to sink to the bottom of the ocean with everyone else on board. Surprisingly, he didn’t feel quite as anxious as he thought he would in the face of death, and he found that his only regret was never getting to say a proper farewell to Sojiro and Futaba. Then again, maybe it was for the best that they were no longer associated with a criminal like himself, but he still wanted to see them again regardless.

His apprehension gradually gave way to exhaustion as the adrenaline that fueled his veins drained out, and Akira decided that it wasn’t going to do any good worrying over things beyond his control. He laid down on the musty floor of the brig and attempted to will himself to sleep, trying his best to ignore the dull throb of pain in his head, the ship’s violent swaying, and the roaring noise above.

The thief closed his eyes, uncertain if they would ever open again and see the next day.

* * *

 

Akira woke with a start to the sound of clanging metal. He blearily rubbed one eye with his hand and looked up to see the young captain from before rapping his knuckles against the prison bars. The captain ceased once he saw that his prisoner was awake and looked down upon him contemptuously.

Looks like they survived.

“Here,” snapped the other boy before crouching down to slide a plate and spoon between the bars towards Akira. The thief blankly stared at the slab of stale bread and mysterious brown sludge plastered beside it, unmoving.

“Look, I’m wasting precious time and supplies because of you, so if you don’t eat up I’m going to get seriously pissed off,” growled the captain.

Akira slowly took the piece of bread in his hands, cautious not to touch the unidentifiable slime, and tore a chunk off with his teeth.

“How considerate of you to feed me,” he said after he finished eating the first bite with difficulty. “I suppose I should thank you for showing me some kindness, however small.”

The captain sighed in response, and his eye grew softer as it lost its hostile glint. “You just had to choose the worst possible time to sneak on board, huh?” he muttered. Akira noticed that the other boy’s voice had lost its earlier gruffness, and he realized that he was now listening to the captain’s normal voice instead.

A smoother, lighter tone. Akira liked it much better than how it sounded before.

“Well, you just sit tight and finish eating. I’ve got my own shit to take care of,” stated the captain as he pushed himself back up.

“Just what do you plan to do with me?” asked Akira as he placed the bread aside onto the plate; his jaw would need a few moments before he could eat again.

“Relax, we’re not going to kill you, but wherever we dock next is where you get thrown off,” answered the captain before turning to walk away.

Akira’s eyes widened at that and he hastily scrabbled up to grab the bars and get the captain’s attention back. If they were going to do something like that and drop him off God-knows-where with no means of contacting Sojiro or Futaba, it would be as good as killing him.

“W-wait, captain, uh, Sakamoto!” he called after him, waving a hand out from the bars. Sakamoto impatiently clicked his tongue and turned around.

“What now?”

“If I may be frank, throwing someone like me off-board would be extremely unwise on your part,” he stated slowly; Akira needed to choose his words very carefully. He could _not_ afford to mess this up.

Sakamoto raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh, and why’s that?”

“Simply put, having someone as skilled as I am on your ship would be a major asset to you.” explained Akira. “Believe it or not, I’ve been successfully stealing from others for most of my life, and it’s only gotten better with age. With my expertise in thievery, I could be a huge help in retrieving tons of loot.” he gave a small smile once he saw that he had caught Sakamoto’s interest. “I mean, you witnessed it firsthand, how easily I managed to slip past your own crew undetected and steal a large amount of treasure from your reserves,” ignoring the fact that he slipped and fell last minute. “Just give me a chance, captain. I promise you won’t regret it.” he said almost pleadingly.

Sakamoto stared at him, arms crossed. He was clearly thinking hard about what Akira had said, and the thief prayed that his words had been enough to sway the captain over.

“I’m gonna need more time to think about it,” said Sakamoto before turning away again, “I’ll give you my answer later today,” he walked away and disappeared from sight.

Well, that was at least more promising than a flat-out rejection.

Akira released the bars and sullenly sat back down, prodding at the stiff brown muck on the plate with his spoon. He scooped up a small portion and hesitantly placed it in his mouth. The taste was enough to make him retch and he immediately spat out the foul substance. Did they seriously eat this crap?  Trying to distract himself from the awful lingering taste, the thief inspected the spoon and casually twirled it around with his fingers; it certainly wasn’t something he’d see the average worker carrying around. From the looks of it, the spoon had once belonged to some unfortunate aristocrat that happened to get caught while sailing seeing as it was made entirely out of silver. The Adventure Galley pirates certainly weren’t infamous for nothing if they were willing to give even a prisoner something as valuable as this, showing off that they had more than enough costly items like the silver spoon to go around.

Akira considered breaking off the head of the spoon and creating a makeshift dagger from the handle, but he decided against it since he would still be stuck in the middle of the damned ocean with nowhere to go even if he did manage to force his way out of the cell.

Akira tossed the spoon back on the plate and leaned his back against the wall. Captain Sakamoto, huh? The young man had the same last name as Himari Sakamoto, so he must be related to her, presumably being her son. She must’ve finally sunk into her watery grave and left no one else but her own child in charge. Well, not that it concerned him.

Akira rested there, continuing to formulate his plan for escape, and after what felt like another hour he heard the sound of footsteps approaching.

Captain Sakamoto had returned, and Akira stood up again and casually walked towards him.

“So, did you make up your mind?” asked Akira.

“Almost. There’s just one more thing I need to get straight,” answered Sakamoto. He took out a key from his pocket and unlocked the cell. He motioned for Akira to step out, and Akira hesitated before emerging from the brig, standing right before captain Sakamoto. Was this a test? Was he trying to see whether or not he would make a run for it? If so, that would have been incredibly insulting; Akira at the very least wasn’t that stupid.

“So, I want you to tell me again…” began Sakamoto, his single brown eye staring fiercely into Akira’s collected gray ones.

“Why should I, the captain, trust a thief?”

Was this seriously all he was using to judge him? If Akira wasn’t trying to break character, he would’ve laughed.

Sakamoto silently glared at him, and Akira stared calmly back. Despite all of the captain’s efforts, Akira simply couldn’t bring himself to be very intimidated by his scowl now that the captain had showed him his softer side.

“Because a good thief knows all the infiltration routes?” he countered.

Sakamoto continued to stare at him, until finally he closed his eye and sighed. “Fine,” said the captain wearily.

Akira grinned: success. “You can count on me,” he assured. “So,” Akira lifted his hands up. “Release the handcuffs? Unless you’re into that?” he teased.

Sakamoto suddenly flushed a deep red. “O-oi, what the hell are you saying you bastard?!” he spluttered angrily at a slightly surprised Akira. “If we’re going to start working together from now on then you need to watch your mouth and address me with proper respect!”

“Ah, sorry captain,” lilted Akira. He hadn’t been expecting the big, bad, pirate captain to react so strongly, but his outburst was so astoundingly adorable that the thief couldn’t help but want to tease him even more.

Sakamoto pulled out the key to Akira’s handcuffs and began undoing the lock, his cheeks still tinged pink. “Jeez, I’m starting have second thoughts about this already,” he muttered.

“Don’t be, I’ll refrain from saying stuff like that in the future,” soothed Akira. “I look forward to working with you Captain Sakamoto.”

Sakamoto unlocked the cuffs, and they fell to the floor with a dull clatter as Akira massaged his aching wrists. “So, now that I’m under your command, we can start getting to know each other more,” he swooped an arm out in front of him as he bowed. “A pleasure to meet you, my name is Akira Kurusu, perhaps better known as the Gentleman Thief.” It was risky to not use a fake name like he usually did, but for whatever reason it didn’t feel quite right to keep lying to Sakamoto even though the pirate was the target of his heist.

“Ryuji Sakamoto, but I’ll throw you right over if I hear you call me anything other than Captain Sakamoto in front of the others.”

Akira smiled pleasantly at him. “Understood. So, now that all of the formalities are out of the way, I have just _one_ term that needs to be obliged before I can start working under you.” the smile vanished from his face. “I won’t help unless I have my partner with me. If you want me stealing anything, you’re going to have to turn back so I can go get her.”

Ryuji stared incredulously at him. “Are you being serious right now? Do you really think you’re in any position to make demands—?”

“I know I’m being rude,” interrupted Akira, “but just hear me out. The profit you would reap from also having my partner on board will be doubled than from having only me. Honestly, the numerous heists I’ve pulled off are successful primarily because of her strategic planning, and I guarantee that you will find her skills incredibly useful as well.”

Ryuji sighed. “Look, it sucks that you got separated from her, and I’m sorry about that, but even if I did turn back the bounty hunter we just ran from is gonna be right there waiting for us. He’d have our heads before you ever got to your friend.”

Akira smiled politely at him. “Oh, I highly doubt that would be the case,” he replied. “No one would ever expect you to return to the cove that you just escaped from right away, and with a storm as terrible as the one that just passed the bounty hunter most likely assumes that you’ve either sunken into the sea or found another spot to rest at. Bounty hunters don’t like sharing info with the navy either since they want all of the profit to themselves, so you won’t have to worry about that, either.” he could tell that Ryuji’s resolution was starting to falter.

“Captain, there’s really nothing to lose from my offer.” assured Akira. “Here, how about this? We arrive at the cove, and if I don’t return in eight hours you can leave without me. That way, you either get new allies, or you get rid of a stowaway thief just like you wanted. Either way, you win.”

Ryuji’s arms were crossed again and he was tapping his foot against the floor. Akira waited with baited breath for his answer…

“Alright.” agreed Ryuji after what felt like an eternity. “We’ll head back to get your friend. You’ll be sorry if something ends up happening to my crew though.”

Akira couldn’t help but grin once the captain finally caved in. “Oh, thank you captain!” he beamed as he bent down and kissed Ryuji’s hand. The other boy snatched his hand away in shock.

“Stop doing shit like that!” he blustered, red in the face again and clutching his hand like he had been burned.

Akira couldn’t help but laugh at Ryuji’s reaction, smiling in elation and causing Ryuji to grow even more flustered in turn.

Their meeting had been short, but Akira wouldn’t deny that he was going to miss seeing the captain’s endearing reactions after he escaped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Thanks for reading!!!)


	3. A Change of Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Hey guys! Sooooo school's gonna be keeping me busy for a while, so I'm probably not going to be properly updating until the spring. Sorry! ;-;  
> This chapter's way shorter than I wanted it to be. Hope you enjoy it though!)

Akira followed Ryuji as they made their way to the main deck, the captain fixing his pace so that the thief was never behind him, and with each flight of stairs they had to climb Ryuji motioned for Akira to go first; the captain at least had half a brain to not trust Akira out of his sight. Well, not that the thief could even do anything to him without having the entire crew at his neck anyways.

They had caught a few disbelieving stares from people in rooms they happened to pass through, and Akira couldn’t help but smirk at the way the pirates gawked at the sight of their prisoner walking right beside their own captain. A few even tried to stop Ryuji and ask questions, but Captain Sakamoto simply waved a hand to dismiss them, telling them that if they wanted to learn more about the situation then they should come up to the main deck later.

“I really can’t thank you enough for your generosity, Ryu— Captain Sakamoto,” purred Akira while they walked through a vacant room without any unwanted listeners. “This truly means a lot to me, and I promise to repay your kindness as soon as I can get to work,”

“There’s no need to thank me,” replied Ryuji, “Hell, maybe I should thank you for helping me make a tough decision since I was trying to decide between turning back or moving forward anyways.” he stopped walking and gave a confident smile. “But then you reminded me that risks are needed every now and then if we wanna keep going.”

“Oh?” Akira was intrigued now. He thought that the captain was going back because of his persuasion alone, so what other reasons did Ryuji have to return?

They continued to walk, and right before they stepped out onto the main deck Ryuji placed a hand on Akira’s shoulder. “Let me do all the talking, okay? Don’t say a word.” he ordered before withdrawing his hand and heading outside.

After being stuck in the dark interior of a ship for so long the sun was practically blinding to Akira, who had to squint and give his eyes time to adjust before he could properly see again. Once he could fully open them Akira saw that the sky was a brilliant, crystal-clear blue with only a few wisps of clouds as if it had never stormed the night before, and looking straight ahead he could see a handful of crew members milling around on deck, not paying any attention to them.

Ryuji motioned for Akira to follow him up to the quarter deck, and when they arrived Akira could see the confusion that flashed in the helmsman’s eyes upon seeing them. Captain Sakamoto turned to face the main deck.

“Alright, listen up!” he shouted. The pirates below looked up towards the quarter deck, and their faces wore the same confused expression of the helmsman’s when they saw Akira standing with their captain.

“I’m ordering a change of course! Starting now, we’re going to be turning back towards the cove we left!” commanded Ryuji.

A moment of silence, and then a few cries of outrage followed that came from the pirates below.

“Are you insane, Captain Sakamoto?! We barely escaped the storm _and_ that bounty hunter! Why the hell would you want to go back?!”

“Yeah! And why is that thief walking freely around with you?! Does he have something to do with this? Are you trying to kill us all?”

“Shut it!” roared Captain Sakamoto, instilling an immediate silence in the crew; Akira wouldn’t deny that the effect of Sakamoto’s assertion sent shivers down his spine.

“Just shut up and listen to what I have to say,” growled Ryuji. “I understand all of your concerns, but after a lot of thought I really believe that turning back would be the best choice over moving forward. We were just beginning to restock when Akechi suddenly forced us to leave, so not only are we missing a third of our crew, but we’re also seriously undersupplied; our drinking supply isn’t going to last until we hit our next stop even with our smaller numbers. Right now, the cove’s a lot closer, which is why turning back is the best shot we have.”

“Captain Sakamoto!” Akira heard a woman’s voice shout out. “What you said is true, and I know since my own sister was one of the people who got left behind, but even if we did turn back, we would simply get caught by Akechi!”

Ryuji nodded his head in acknowledgement at the silver-haired woman. “Don’t worry, Ms. Nijima, even Akechi wouldn’t think that we’re crazy enough to head back right after we escaped him. Chances are he’s already left to try and find where we’ll go next since he lost us in the storm and doesn't know we're in need of supplies.” Akira could see that the crew’s opposition was starting to waver at his assurance.

“Alright, fine, but what about the thief standing next to you like he belongs there? Why is he out of his cell?” he heard another person shout.

“Starting today,” answered Ryuji, “this thief, Akira Kurusu, will be working as one of us!”

More cries of outrage from the pirates below.

“Shut up and listen!” roared Ryuji again. “Sure, this kid may have tried to steal from us, but he’s asked to work by our side. It’ll be an advantage to have someone with his skill on our side!”

“But captain, how can we trust him? He’s just some filthy crook!”

 _Gentleman thief_ , Akira silently corrected.

“Yeah? And so is almost everyone here! If he causes any trouble, we can just throw him overboard, simple as that, but  I don’t wanna hear another complaint until we’ve given him a chance to prove himself just like my mom did with you guys! As captain, I need you all to have faith in my choices. So what’s it gonna be: die at sea, or take your chances with me to try and live a little longer?”

His words were final; Akira could see that there was no will left in the crew to argue with their captain. The helmsman silently started to turn the wheel in the opposite direction, and the pirates slowly began resuming their usual duties, only this time making preparations for the trip back.

Needless to say, Akira was incredibly impressed. Who would’ve thought that the amateur pirate captain could actually maintain order?

Ryuji sighed and turned to Akira. “Alright, now that I’m done, you need to come with me to my quarters,”

They went inside the ship again, and once they were inside Ryuji’s room the captain seated himself into his chair behind his desk.

“I’m impressed at the way you managed to handle that rowdy crowd of yours,” remarked Akira.

“Well, it definitely ain’t easy. My mom’s crew has some high expectations for me since I’m the son of their legendary captain and… anyways, we need to work out that deal of yours. As soon as we dock, you have twelve hours to get your partner and return to the ship, but if you aren’t back by then, we leave without you. Sound good?”

“Of course, captain.” agreed Akira

It wasn’t like he was planning to return anyways.

* * *

 

The trip back was long enough for both day and night to pass, and by the time they finally arrived at the cove dawn was already starting to creep over the horizon. Akira stood beside Ryuji on deck and watched as the shore slowly grew closer. His bag, which they had been nice enough to return (although not with anything in it, not even his grappling hook, much to Akira's discontent), was slung over his shoulder, and Akira fiddled absentmindedly with the strap as the anchor was lowered into the ocean with a heavy splash once they were close enough. He had only taken a couple hours of rest back in his cell since he didn’t have anywhere else to sleep, but the anticipation to leave was enough to keep him wide awake.

The ship eventually rocked to a standstill, and Akira patiently waited for the pirates to lower the ramp. As he expected, not a single other ship was also in the cove, any bounty hunter being long gone in search of more targets, and the thief observed how the tension in the air seemed to dissipate once their safety was confirmed.

“And so we've arrived,” stated Akira once they were finally done setting up the ramp. “Well then, I must be going to retrieve my partner. Can’t waste any more time.”

“Sure,” said Ryuji. “But before you do,” the captain extended his hand towards Akira. “You said that you’d be back so I… _definitely_ believe you, but just in case you don’t come back, it was, uh, nice meeting ya, or some shit like that,” mumbled Ryuji.

Akira stared at him, suddenly finding himself bewildered. “Oh, er, and I feel the same as well.” answered Akira blankly as he took Ryuji’s hand into his own and gave it a limp shake. The thief was ready to escape believing that he had flawlessly tricked the naïve rookie, but now…

He wasn’t so sure.

“Heh, what? No kiss on the hand this time?” asked Ryuji with a smirk.

Akira gave a charming smile despite the way the captain’s words somehow left a pang in his chest. What was this unfamiliar emotion that suddenly made him feel bad about leaving?

“Only if you want one,” purred Akira.

“Hell no, I was kidding,” replied Ryuji bluntly.

Ah. Akira’s chest suddenly started to burn instead.

“Anyways, you should get going now,” said Ryuji as he let go of Akira’s hand; the thief found his own hand being almost reluctant to withdraw from the embrace.

“Certainly…” muttered Akira as he walked towards the ramp. The thief stepped on the planks, but he hesitated and turned his head. Noticing that Ryuji was still watching him, Akira gave another winsome smile. “Goodbye… for now,”

“Yeah, sure,” dismissed Ryuji without returning the smile.

God, why did Akira feel so frustrated? He sullenly slinked away, and once his feet hit the sandy ground Akira started to run until he was sure that the damned oblivious captain couldn’t see him anymore. The thief paused once he reached the outskirts of the town to catch his breath, panting while his heart pounded and his chest still burned in anger. Ryuji’s lack of reaction to his farewell wasn’t what he wanted, but what exactly was it that Akira wanted from him to begin with? He didn’t mind that Ryuji had responded to his earlier frivolous attempts at flirting with hostility, but for whatever reason the sheer apathy Ryuji had shown to him at that moment irritated him.

Whatever, it didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to see him ever again. He didn’t _want_ to see him ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Thanks for reading! See you in a few weeks in my other story hopefully! ;u;)


	4. Departure and Farewell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Hey guys! Sorry for the wait, but chapter 4 is finally done!  
> Hope you enjoy reading! :D)

Well this was certainly an unexpected surprise.

Akira allowed the officer to collapse with a dull thud, unmoving. He had only knocked him unconscious (one thing Akira would not allow himself to do was kill another human), but his body would still cause some alarm, so Akira dragged the officer into the alleyway and tossed him into a shaded corner where he’d be well-hidden. He waited for an opening to appear in the crowd before stepping out from the alleyway, his hood still shrouding his face, and tried to walk as briskly as he could without arousing suspicion. Akira glanced furtively around and noticed more officers positioned around the area.

Why were there so many officers here today?

Akira paused for a moment once he reached the entrance of Leblanc Pub; he slowly swung the door open, and the first thing he noticed was the pair of officers seated directly by the entrance, The officers stared at him as he lowered his hood, but slowly resumed their conversation after seeing him calmly seat himself at the counter.

Sojiro walked up to him, and his composed features gave away nothing. “And what will you be having today, sir?”

“Just a cup of coffee for me, please.” replied Akira. He tapped his finger against the counter as Sojiro prepared his drink. “I was overseas for a while, so I was surprised to see that security has grown so much tighter while I was away.”

“Hmph, well someone gave a tip-off about the whereabouts of that infamous ‘Gentleman Thief.’ Apparently his hideout is somewhere around these parts, so a bunch of officers are now patrolling around here trying to find him.” explained Sojiro while he placed Akira’s coffee on the counter.

“Interesting, I would have never even thought he’d be hiding in a quaint little part of the city like this.” remarked Akira

“Neither would I, but I supposed that’s why he’s managed to remain elusive for so long. That is, until now,” said Sojiro.

Akira smiled and took a sip of his coffee only to drop his cup and slide off of his stool, coffee spilling all over the counter and dribbling onto the floor as he fell.

“H-hey, what’s wrong with him?” asked one of the officers. The officers stood up, prepared to go over and help along with a few other customers, but Sojiro was the first one to rush to Akira’s side.

“Sir, are you alright?” asked Sojiro anxiously as he slung Akira’s arm over his shoulders and gingerly lifted him up.

“S-sorry, I’ve been feeling rather lightheaded after I returned from my trip.” mumbled Akira, lolling his head to the side.

“There’s no need to apologize, sir. Do you need to lie down? I can take you upstairs where it isn’t quite as rowdy, and you can rest your head for a bit until you feel better.” soothed Sojiro.

“That would very kind of you, thank you.” sighed Akira. He leaned heavily against Sojiro as he slowly took him up the stairs, and once Akira was sure they were out of sight he removed his arm from Sojiro’s shoulders, brushing off the dust from his cloak. He noticed Futaba hunched in the corner and the way her eyes filled with relief at the sight of him.

“What happened to you? Futaba and I were worried sick.” muttered Sojiro as he folded his arms over his chest.

“Sorry, I got caught. But I managed to give them the slip in the end.” explained Akira. “More importantly though, what happened here? How did they manage to find out where I am?”

Sojiro and Futaba glanced at each other.

“I’ll have you explain it to him. I need to head back before they get suspicious,” said Sojiro as he turned away.

There was a moment of silence after Sojiro left.

Futaba hesitated before speaking. “There was an unaccounted factor in our plan, Akira.” Her shoulders tensed. “I knew Kaneshiro would be paranoid, but I didn’t expect him to post guards at such a wide radius from his villa.”

“But I told you it was fine. I managed to handle the ones in my way well enough,” objected Akira.

Futaba nodded. “But one of the guards must have spotted you heading towards town and reported it afterwards. Akira… I… I’m so sorry, t-this is all my fault, I should’ve thought through the plan more carefully and—” she started to sob until Akira pulled her in for a hug.

“Hey,” murmured Akira softly. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s alright. We’ll find a way to get through this.”

Futaba clung to his arm for a moment before pushing him away, determination burning in her eyes. “Right.”

Akira grinned. “There we go. So, what do you know? Do they have any information on what I look like?"

“The posters they have up are far from perfect, but honestly, if anyone stopped to looked at you long enough they might see a resemblance.”

“Huh, typical. Accurately capturing my handsome looks would have been much too difficult, after all.” joked Akira despite the warmth pricking at the back of his neck. Damn it, so the officers not recognizing him had been pure luck?

Futaba bit her lip. “I’m going to be honest here, Akira. I think it’s going to be a matter of time until they find this place and catch us. We need to change our hideout, somewhere that wouldn’t be easily accessible and is isolated from the public.”

Oh god damn it. “H-hey… so Futaba, believe it or not I may know just the place.”

Futaba’s eyes widened. “Really? Then that’s perfect! Where is it?”

“Er, first, quick question. You don’t get sea-sick, do you?”

“Huh? Why do you ask..? Wait, Akira, oh no, don’t tell me…”

“So… I may or may not have agreed to work with the Adventure Galley pirates in exchange for my liberation, and I may or may not have told them I was going to bring you back as my partner.”

“Holy crap… Akira, that’s just… that’s crazy! Are you telling me that we’re going to have to be _pirates_ if we want to get out of this mess?”

“Look, I know it’s crazy, but this is the best option we have! They’ve agreed to shelter us, and not only that, we’d still be able to pull off heists, and in more locations to boot! Think of all the possibilities, Futaba!”

Futaba’s brows furrowed together. “But… Sojiro, are we really just going to leave him behind?”

“I don’t want to either, but honestly, Sojiro would be a lot safer without us using his pub as our base. We’d be doing him a favor if we left. Plus, it wouldn’t be forever, you know we’d find a way to see him again.”

“Damn it Akira… I hate how everything you’re saying is true,” mumbled Futaba. She stood up, swaying slightly on the balls of her feet. “Fine, this may just be the craziest plan you’ve had yet, but I’m in.” she took a step towards the stairs and hesitated. “Are we even going to say goodbye?”

Akira knew it would be risky, especially with the officers downstairs, but still… he couldn’t just leave Sojiro without saying a word.

“Here, how about we try this...?” he explained the plan to Futaba, and a few minutes later he emerged from the storage room with Futaba carefully leading him down the stairs.

Sojiro glanced up along with the officers. “Oh, are you feeling better?” asked Sojiro.

“Yes, quite better, thank you.” murmured Akira. “You’re handmaid here has been incredibly kind to me.” Futaba guided him to the counter. “I thank you for all that you’ve done for me, and I'm sure that your handmaid is grateful to work under someone so kind. I’ll be taking my leave now, but I must say I’ll miss this place.”

“Are you going somewhere?” asked Sojiro.

Akira nodded. “I’ll be heading off on a trip for a long while, but I’ll try my best to return here when the opportunity arises. Nowhere else makes coffee as good as this place, after all.” he glanced up at Sojiro’s emotionless expression. “So again, thank you for taking care of me.” _For everything you’ve done for me_.

Sojiro nodded with a doleful smile. “No need to thank me, it was a pleasure having you here. I’m sure we’ll meet again.”

“U-um… Boss, if it’s alright with you, may I see this young man out? I’m afraid he might collapse again, so I want to make sure he has a safe trip.” said Futaba, the strain in her voice barely detectable.

Sojiro’s eyes widened, a momentary chink in his mask that quickly flitted away. “You’re going with him?”

Futaba gave a small nod.

Sojiro turned away. “I see. Well, I won’t stop you… just be careful, you two. Okay?” his hands went back to polishing a glass, the cloth methodically rubbing over the surface.

“Th-thank you,” answered Futaba. Not another word was spoken as they exited the pub, and Akira gave Futaba’s hand a comforting squeeze as they walked down the street.

“You did well, Futaba.” murmured Akira.

“I’m going to miss him while we’re gone,” said Futaba, her voice tight but her eyes staring straight ahead as she returned the squeeze.

“Me too, but we’ll find a way to see him again. We always find a way,” replied Akira, a reassurance meant just as much for him as it was for Futaba.

“Mm,”

* * *

 

“You’re back,” said Ryuji, not bothering to hide his surprise.

Akira smirked. “Was there any doubt that I would be?” His initial plan may have been to escape, but it was still satisfying to see the look on Ryuji’s face after defying his expectations, especially after his lukewarm farewell earlier.

“Er, no, of course not.” Ryuji glanced at Futaba, who was clinging to the sleeve of Akira’s cloak. “And you’re his partner, I assume?”

Futaba silently nodded, not looking Ryuji in the eye.

“Hmph, well, welcome aboard the Adventure Galley,”  he extended a hand towards Futaba. “I’m captain Ryuji Sakamoto, and starting today you and your partner will be working under me.”

Futaba hesitated and tentatively took Ryuji’s hand, giving it a limp shake before quickly withdrawing her grasp.

Ryuji grinned. “Hey, why so tense? We’re pirates, not sharks, I ain’t gonna bite ya.” joked Ryuji.

“Are you sure? Your smile definitely looks wide enough for it,” said Akira.

Ryuji chuckled; a soft, good-natured laugh that made Akira’s chest flutter a little. He turned away from them and headed towards the door leading to the lower decks. “Well anyways, make yourselves at home. Dinner’s gonna start soon, so you can get to know everyone then.” he opened the door, and with that, he was gone.

Futaba glanced up at Akira. “Um… was that _really_ the captain?”

“Believe me, I was surprised too.” said Akira.

“Well, he definitely doesn’t give off any pirate vibes, aside from the eye patch,” muttered Futaba. She smiled at Akira. “Call me crazy, but I think… he might not be so bad of a guy. I mean, he could’ve just locked us up in the brigade like slaves.”

Akira nodded in agreement. “But instead, he’s allowing a pair of shady thieves like us to roam freely about on his ship.” There was definitely something odd about the captain, but he couldn’t really complain, especially since it worked in their favor, and…

“So how long have you had the hots for him?” asked Futaba casually as they leaned over the railing of the ship, observing the rolling waves that crashed over the shore.

Akira nearly fell over into the ocean. “H-huh?” he spluttered.

“I mean, with the way you were ogling at him when he walked away, I just figured…”

“First of all, I was not _ogling_ at him,” objected Akira, “and second of all, seriously? I have standards, you know, and they certainly stand above some filthy, greenhorn pirate who doesn’t even have both of his eyes.”

Futaba shrugged. “Alright, whatever you say,” she lilted, clearly not convinced, _at all_ , and that just made Akira even more flustered.

“H-heh, in fact, perhaps you can say that it’s all part of my scheme, acting like I’m interested,” boasted Akira, not even bothering to deny Futaba’s accusations anymore.

Futaba raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“Of course. First, I’ll steal the captain’s heart, and once I’ve gained enough influence over him, I’ll convince him to turn his ship around back to our home, and then you and I can rob him blind and make off with his loot.” concluded Akira, his voice quiet so he wouldn’t be overheard. “How’s that sound?”

“I think it’s a good plan, _if_ you can actually carry it out,” replied Futaba; there was a hint of a challenge in her voice and a mischievous glint in her eye.

“What, you think I can’t pull it off? Just watch me. I’ve wooed countless hearts before, this will be no different.”

“And who’s heart exactly are you planning to woo?” asked a voice behind them.

Shit, how much did they hear? Akira turned around with a pleasant smile framed on his face. “Why, only the hearts of everyone on this ship. I want to form a strong bond with my new crewmates now that I’m staying here.”  
It was the silver-haired woman from before. Her arms were folded across her chest, a look of skepticism on her face. “Hmph, well good luck to you with that. Most of us aren’t happy to have you here, you know.” She turned away. “Well, no matter. I came to tell you that we’ll be raising anchor soon, and you can head down for dinner once we start moving.”

“How considerate of you,” said Akira. Sure enough, the loud cranking of chains was audible below, and Akira felt the ship lurch slightly beneath his feet as the Adventure Galley started to drift away from the shore.

“So,” said Akira to Futaba as the shoreline slowly faded from view. “Shall we head down for dinner then?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Thanks for reading!!)


	5. First Burn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (IMPORTANT NOTE: So I just want to make something clear that I should’ve done in the first chapter.  
> First of all, I apologize in advance to anyone who was expecting this story to strictly follow the historical era of the golden pirate age, but for the sake of personal convenience I’m going to be filling this story chock-full of historical inaccuracies that although won’t be too outlandish, will provide technology and certain concepts that definitely weren’t available during the era when pirates were at their peak rule. If you want an example to compare this to, think “One Piece” on a smaller scale since all of the modern technology in here will be accommodations like household appliances. So yeah, blame my inability to write interesting historical fiction that doesn’t nitpick at unimportant details like eating and sleeping habits. ^^’  
> Again, I’m really sorry to anyone who was expecting this story to strictly follow the seventeenth-to-eighteenth-century era, but if I were to make this more accurate to the time period then I’d be too absorbed in trying to write reasons for why everyone’s not dying of disease ^^’.  
> I hope you’re still willing to stick around for the story though, so without further ado here’s chapter 5)

Akira and Futaba made their way downstairs to the lower deck, guided by the smell of something pungent wafting through the air, and eventually the trail ended at a crowded and stuffy dining room.

Akira glanced around, eyeing each table until he finally found the one that his oh-so-esteemed captain was sitting at. He nudged Futaba’s arm and nodded his head towards Ryuji’s direction. “Well then, time to get started.”

“Make me proud, Akira.” replied Futaba with a smirk.

Akira and Futaba made their way towards Ryuji’s table, Futaba trailing closely behind him while Akira sauntered forward; he could sense the suspicious glares pinned right on him and hear the harsh whispers resounding from his audience, but that didn’t change his confident demeanor. Let them think what they want, it wouldn’t change the fact that he was going to rob them all blind in the end. He reached for the seat next to Ryuji, but right when he was about to sit down he was suddenly tapped firmly on the shoulder.

“Hey, didn’t you see the plate? I’m already sitting here.” a woman’s voice snapped.

Akira turned to see a woman, perhaps around the same age as him, glaring at him, teal eyes filled with brimstone accentuated by the fiery red of her dress and cascades of blonde hair fixed neatly into pigtails.

 _Damn it_. Despite his irritation, Akira smiled and gave a slight bow. “My sincerest apologies, madam. I will make sure to be more attentive in the future.”

The woman folded her arms. “Why are you talking like that?”

“I’m sorry, miss?”

“Like _that_. You sound like you’re a waiter at some fancy restaurant. Stop it, this is a pirate ship, not a royal ball.” The woman smiled and clapped him on the back. “So take that stick out of your bum and loosen up a little, okay?”

Her behavior had caught Akira completely off-guard. “I-I see. Then I’ll try to be more, um… ‘loose’, in the future then.”

“Ann, stop harassing our new members,” chided Ryuji from his seat.

The woman, Ann, turned and glared at Ryuji. “It’s not harassment! I’m just trying to make them feel more at home!”

“No offense, but I think you’re doing a pretty shitty job then. At least let them get their damn food first.” replied Ryuji bluntly.

“Hmph, as vulgar as ever, captain.” she turned towards Akira and Futaba and smiled at them. “Well, you heard the captain. Go get yourselves something to eat.”

Akira and Futaba walked away, but not before seeing Ann knock her fist against Ryuji’s head, making him yelp at the light sting. “Ow!”

They ended up sitting a table away from Ryuji and Ann, Futaba sitting next to the silver-haired woman from before, and Akira sitting between a woman with piercing red eyes and another woman with gentle curls framing her face.

The woman with gentle curls turned to look at Akira. “Oh hello. You two must be the new members of Captain Sakamoto’s crew.” she greeted.

“Ah, yes. It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Akira Kurusu.” responded Akira. He motioned his hand towards Futaba, well aware of her hesitation to open up to strangers. “And this is my partner, a bright young woman known as Futaba Sakura.”

“The pleasure is mine,” said the woman, a soft smile giving her an air of placidness. “I’m Haru Okumura of the Okumura Trading Company, and the two lovely ladies beside you are my escorts. The woman sitting next to me is Makoto Nijima, and the woman sitting next to Ms. Futaba is her older sister, Sae Nijima.”

Makoto gave a curt nod in acknowledgement, while Sae simply ignored Akira and continued eating.

Akira smiled. “Oh, I actually ran into Sae earlier, so I’m glad I had the chance of receiving a proper introduction. They certainly appear to be sufficient at their jobs, Ms. Okumura… ah, but if you would allow it, may I call you Haru?” he reached for her hand and tilted his head down to kiss it, but before he could his arm was suddenly being bent behind his back and his head was getting slammed against the table, plates and silverware clattering about. The room immediately went silent as the rest of the crew watched for what would happen next.

“I assure you that we are more than sufficient at our jobs.” growled Makoto above him, twisting his arm even further behind his back and causing him to cry out in pain. Futaba stood up, dining knife ready in her trembling hand while Sae tensed in preparation to intercept her.

“Makoto, please, that’s enough!” ordered Haru, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“He was trying to touch you!” protested Makoto.

“He was just trying to be polite! There’s no need for this, so please, let’s all get along now.”

Makoto reluctantly let go of Akira, drawing out a sigh of relief from him, and slowly everyone relaxed and settled back down at the table. The sound of chatter resumed, and Akira could pick up the snide remarks being made about the newcomer getting put in his place; he could see Ryuji sighing in exasperation and burying his face into the palm of his hand while Ann patted him consolingly on the back.

Akira had never been so mortified in his life.

“Apologize to him, Makoto.” ordered Haru.

“What? But—”

The look Haru gave her was enough to silence her, and Makoto hesitated before slowly opening her mouth again, her cheeks flushed pink as she refused to look him in the eye.

“I…I a-apologize, Kurusu. I-it was unbecoming of me to attack you out of the blue like that.” she mumbled.

 If Akira was more of a fool he would’ve dared to call her apology cute, but the sharpness of her blood-red eyes once they focused on him again was enough to send shivers down his spine: she was not someone he wanted to make an enemy out of. “Don’t misunderstand, though, make any attempts to harm Ms. Okumura and you’re a dead man.”

It was completely absurd, especially considering the genuine fear coursing through his veins, but Akira couldn’t stop himself from chuckling, surprising Makoto.

“W-what’s so funny? I’m being serious, you know!”

“I know, I’m _very_ aware of that, it’s just…” he had to stifle his laughs so he could properly talk again. “I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who could pin me down so quickly. I’m all too used to slipping away at the very last moment, so I guess you can say the sudden change in dynamics was refreshing, exhilarating even.” he smiled. “That being said, would you mind teaching me your techniques some time?”

For a moment Makoto silently stared at him, and Akira considered fleeing for his life until she actually broke into a chuckle herself. “Pfft, you’re a strange one, aren’t you?” she said, smiling. “Still, I don’t share my ways with just anyone, so you’re going to have to prove yourself to me first.”

Akira grinned. “Fair enough, I’ll look forward to it, then.”

Makoto chuckled again, and the tension in the air seemed to ease into something more friendly.

Futaba was stunned, the knife hanging limply from her hand. “What just happened?”

Akira smirked at her. “What, you mean you don’t ask for fighting tips from someone who just tried to kill you?”

“Hey!” protested Makoto. “I was only going to break your arm.”

“Oh, _only_ break my arm. Of course, how could I make something so innocent sound so horrendous?”

Makoto almost snorted in laughter, and Haru giggled by her side. Sae continued to eat, but Akira didn’t miss the hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

“Well, I’m glad you two are getting along, now.” beamed Haru. “And Makoto, how many times do I need to tell you ‘Haru’ is just fine?”

“But that’s not the proper way an escort should address—”

This time Haru silenced her by pressing a finger to Makoto’s lips. “I don’t want to hear it. We’re also friends, you know, so of course we should address each other by our first names.”

Makoto blushed again, and she gave a silent nod as Haru withdrew her finger.

Haru smiled. “Good, now then.” she turned towards the table. “We’ve been chatting for long enough! Our food must be cold by now!”

Akira had completely forgotten about eating, but he couldn’t say that the reminder was any sort of blessing. He glanced down at the food again and inspected the pitiful gray slop that was supposed to be their dinner, a thick puddle oozing onto the table after the earlier skirmish had splashed it contents from the plate.

“Okay, seriously, how on earth do you people tolerate these sorry excuses of a meal?” asked Akira while he prodded the slime with his spoon.

“Admittedly it’s not always the best, but we all take turns cooking, so some days the food is much more palatable than others.” answered Sae casually without looking at Akira.

“Ugh, and whose turn was it today? I wanna give them a good long lecture on basic cooking recipes.”

Sae remained silent at that, but Akira didn’t pry any further when he saw the tips of her ears turning red.

So they all took turns cooking, huh? Akira snuck a glance towards Ryuji’s direction, noticing the way he tried not to gag with every bite. He continued to watch him, staring at the spoon as it slid from Ryuji’s mouth until he caught himself and diverted his gaze towards Ann, also inspecting the way she nearly retched from her food. Suddenly Akira was struck with an idea.

He stood up on his chair.

“Attention please!” he announced, and suddenly about fifty pairs of eyes were upon him. “Starting tomorrow, as well as being your dearly beloved thief, I’m also going to be this ship’s designated cook!”

“Oh yeah?” scoffed one voice. “And just what can you cook?”

“A wide variety of dishes, actually, but my signature dish is a curry that is sure to please you all.” he swept his hand towards the plate. “That way, you don’t have to take turns cooking, and you can make sure the food you eat is always… palatable.” He gave bow. “That’s all, thank you.” he sat back down, taking a spoonful of the food and shuddering at the sour taste that greeted him. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Ryuji staring at him in disbelief, and Akira turned to wink at him, causing Ryuji to flush in return; he could finally set his plan into motion.

More and more people gradually left the dining room as the evening drew to a close, and as Futaba and Akira also took their leave Futaba grabbed Akira by the arm.

“What were you thinking?!” she exclaimed.

Akira smiled at her. “Have you ever heard the phrase, ‘a man’s way to his heart is through his stomach’?”

Futaba clung tighter to his arm. “Wait, you’re kidding. _That’s_ your plan to charm the captain?”

“Mhmm,” lilted Akira. “But really, this is just the beginning. First I get on his good side, and once I’m there I’ll keep making advances until he eventually cracks.”

“Well, don’t get too ahead of yourself…” Futaba trailed off as she noticed Ann approaching them.

“Oh, hey again, you two.” beamed Ann. “I was asked to show you where your quarters are, so if you’ll follow me…”

Akira and Futaba glanced at each other before stepping in her direction. “Please lead the way then.” said Akira.

They followed her until she stopped at two doors.

“You guys are close, so you’ll be staying in rooms that are right next to each other.” said Ann.

“I’m surprised a bunch of unruly pirates can afford to have their own private quarters.” remarked Akira.

“Hey, this is the Adventure Galley you’re talking about. We can afford a lot of nice things thanks to looting and the Okumura family's funds. But I’ll be honest, the only reason you two have your own quarters is because the rest of the crew can’t tolerate you, so…consider yourself lucky I guess.” she turned away. “Sleep tight, and it’d probably be a good idea to lock your doors until you’re better friends with everyone.”

On the contrary, Akira didn’t end up getting much sleep that night. Not because of Ann’s warning, though: it was because his thoughts were racing as he considered which dishes he should prepare for the next day.

* * *

Akira would be lying if he said it didn’t bring him a sort of smug satisfaction to see the way the pirates begrudgingly enjoyed eating his cooking. He had woken up bright and early to prepare breakfast, adrenaline buzzing in his veins to fend off his underlying fatigue, but the mixture of shock, irritation, and reluctant pleasure on those faces that had leered at him earlier was completely worth it. Ryuji had been happily munching away at his grilled salmon, and the sight of it had given Akira the motivation he needed to carry out the rest of his plan.

During the evening Akira worked alone in the kitchen as he prepared dinner, and he absentmindedly chopped the potatoes while he waited for the stove to heat up until the sound of approaching footsteps made him look up.

“Oh, so it’s curry tonight?”

Akira glanced up to see Ryuji leaning across the kitchen counter, his single eye fixed on the way Akira methodically cut the potatoes.

“Indeed. Unless you’re not fond of it, in which case I could make something else.”

“No need, it’s actually a favorite of mine, so,” he glanced at Akira before turning away, clearing his throat. “Um, anyways. I’m free right now, if you need any help.”

“Thank you, captain, but there’s no need.” Time to give a little push. Akira leaned towards Ryuji so that their faces were only a few inches apart, lowering his eyelids and raising his lips into a slight smile that he often used to seduce someone that possessed information he needed for heists. The smile only widened as he saw the blush starting to bloom across Ryuji’s cheeks and his brows furrowing together in confusion. “after all, this is supposed to be my treat for you,” he purred, propping his left hand on the stovetop and—

“Fuck!” he yelped, quickly pulling his hand away from the stove. Akira gritted his teeth as he observed the angry red burn seared on the palm of his hand, a mark that was sure to be permanent and a stupid blunder that he had shown right in front of his target.

“Holy shit, Akira! Are you alright?” exclaimed Ryuji as he grabbed Akira’s wrist to inspect the burn.

“I’m fine! It’s only a little burn,” assured Akira as he frantically tried to pull his hand away; he could feel his face heating up like he had pressed it right against the stovetop instead.

“Don’t give me that shit,” he pulled Akira towards him, and Akira had to resist the urge to punch him in the face and run away. “Here, let’s go down to the infirmary.” said Ryuji before turning off the stove. He tugged Akira with him as he walked, and Akira had no choice but to follow.

A woman with blue hair and sharp eyes greeted them once they reached the infirmary, and Ryuji had to explain to her (Tae, if Akira heard correctly) that he needed something to treat a burn with. Tae allowed him to take some gauze and an ointment, and they sat on the infirmary bed while she treated the patient on the other bed suffering from a gunshot wound.

“Shouldn’t the doctor be doing this?” asked Akira sullenly while Ryuji applied the ointment, a hiss of pain escaping him at the acrid sting.

“Yeah, well as you can see she’s busy at the moment, so you’re stuck with me.” replied Ryuji before unraveling the bandage from its roll. “But don’t worry, I’m used to treating wounds.”  He began to firmly wrap the bandage around Akira’s hand, but Akira’s pride wouldn’t allow himself to look Ryuji in the eye even after he finished. He inspected the wrappings around his hand, surprised at their neatness before experimentally flexing his wrist.

“Thank you, captain. It was incredibly kind of you to take care of me.” he muttered before pushing himself off of the bed, still refusing to look at Ryuji. “Well, can’t be idle for too long. Still need to finish making dinner after all.”

“Hey,” he felt Ryuji grab his wrist and nearly jumped out of his skin. “Let me help.”

“Kitchen duties aren’t meant for the captain, _Captain_. It’s best if you attend to more important matters.” he replied, almost snapping at him. _Try to act more like a pirate, for God’s sake!_

“ _Don’t_ order me around, and something like this sure as hell isn’t below me. There’s a reason why we all take shifts for certain duties.” growled Ryuji as he also stood up. “You’re clearly exhausted if you managed to make such an easy mistake, and as captain I don’t need you burning down my ship because you fell asleep at the stove!”

They continued to glare at each other, until finally Ryuji sighed and let go of his wrist. “Look, I get it, you obviously don’t like me, but don’t try to shoulder this all by yourself, okay?” he walked towards the entrance door and opened it. “At least get your partner or someone to help.” and with that, he left the room, leaving Akira to wallow in his own embarrassment because he knew Ryuji had been completely wrong:

On the contrary, he wasn’t tired at all, and he certainly hadn’t been while he was talking to Ryuji earlier, either.

* * *

“I— _snrk­_ — I don’t believe it. You put your hand on the _stove_?” inquired Futaba while trying to stifle her laughter.

“It’s not funny, Futaba,” snapped Akira, causing Futaba to break into more giggles. They were sitting on his bed, and Akira rolled his eyes as Futaba fell backward and doubled over in laughter.

Akira ended up needing to ask Futaba for help because the burn had been giving him difficulty preparing the rest of the curry, but after dinner was done Futaba had demanded to know what happened after she saw Ryuji entering the kitchen, and she refused to stop asking about his bandaged hand.

“I-I’m sorry, i-it’s just— Oh man, Akira! I don’t think I’ve ever heard of you messing up like that!” She finally stopped laughing and grinned at him, a wisp of hair draped over her glasses. “I’ve gotta say, I’m really happy for you. You’ve actually managed to find someone who can fluster you.”

“I wasn’t flustered, I was just careless.” protested Akira. “And besides, this is only a minor setback. I can still salvage this and steal the captain’s heart.”

“Oh sure, _if_ he doesn’t steal yours first.”

Akira flushed at that, and he could actually feel himself getting irritated, pressure building up in his chest that was threatening to explode at Futaba.

“Let’s call it a night,” stated Akira harshly, and suddenly Futaba wasn’t laughing anymore.

“You alright?" asked Futaba, the smallness of her voice making Akira feel ashamed for losing his temper at her.

“I'm fine. Sorry, I just need some time to myself.”

They said their goodnights before Futaba left, and in the dim lighting of his room Akira collapsed back onto his bed, holding up his injured hand towards the ceiling and inspecting the bandage. He gave a heavy sigh and covered his eyes with the crook of his arm.

What the hell was happening to him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Thanks for reading! Gonna introduce a few more characters in the next chapter.)


	6. The Less You Know the Better

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Yoo guys!  
> Here's chapter 6! I'm gonna be preparing stuff for Pegoryu week too, so I might be slower in updating my WIPs ^^  
> Anyways, thanks for keeping up with the story, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!)

Akira half-expected to see the familiar rafters of the Leblanc Pub attic when he opened his eyes, so when he awoke to sunlight shining in his face through the small window bolted to the wall of his cabin instead, he groaned and pulled the sheets over his head. The events of last night came rushing back, and Akira wanted nothing more than to shut himself in his room all day, isolated from a certain thickheaded pirate captain and everyone else on this godforsaken ship. He screwed his eyes shut, trying to squeeze in a few more minutes of rest until he would have to face the day…

_Shit!_

Akira tossed the sheets off, wildly searching for the clock until he found its perch on the wall. The hands indicated that it was well past the time he was supposed to get up, and panic shot through him as he sprung from the bed and grabbed his coat off the floor before bolting out the room.

He was supposed to make breakfast today, but there was no way it would be ready by the time everyone filed in. Akira cursed himself for his carelessness as he darted through the halls of the ship; not even two days in and he was already falling behind with his plan. Thankfully the kitchen wasn’t too far from his room, but the sight that greeted him once he entered the kitchen made him stop dead in his tracks and stare.

Ryuji stared back at him for a moment before silently looking back down at whatever ingredient he was chopping.

“Mornin’.” greeted Ryuji stiffly.

Akira could feel heat singeing the tips of his ears,

“Good morning, captain,” he sighed. Oh great, just what he needed: the captain thinking he was too incompetent to cook by himself.

“Just so you know, I’m here because it’s my turn to cook today, nothing else.” muttered Ryuji without looking Akira in the eye. The tone of Akira’s voice must have given away what he was thinking.

“Well that’s a relief,” said Akira coldly. “I was afraid you were going to start holding my hand through everything,”

“The Adventure Galley can’t afford to have dead weight. I wouldn’t have let you join if I didn’t think you were capable of handlin’ yourself,” grumbled Ryuji.

Akira didn’t respond as he sulked to the other side of the counter. He didn’t want to go over to retrieve any of the ingredients from Ryuji, so instead he waited with his arms folded across his chest for Ryuji to mess up so that he could step in.

Much to his annoyance, Ryuji didn’t even acknowledge him after their greeting, and finally Akira was forced to swallow his pride and make the first move.

Akira walked towards him and leaned over Ryuji’s shoulder, observing him as he scooped up the sliced cabbage in his hands and placed it in the pan where it sizzled and hissed with the rest of the food.

“I never took you as the type who could cook,” remarked Akira. The smell was incredible, and Akira leaned closer to get a better look.

“It’s a skill I picked up from my ma. Can’t keep a crew running by feeding them shit.” said Ryuji as he stirred the contents of the pan around, too focused with the task at hand to notice Akira inching towards him. “What about you? Does a gentleman thief really have any use for learning how to cook?”

“Not especially, but my caretaker runs a pub, so I picked up a thing or two from him,” explained Akira. He gave a playful smirk. “Plus, women are impressed by a man with culinary knowledge.”

Ryuji scoffed at that,  finally turning his head to look at him, “What kind of stupid reason is that?”

“Well, it’s useful when said women hold the information you need to successfully pull off your heist,” answered Akira. He placed his uninjured hand beneath Ryuji’s chin and tilted his head towards him, their faces barely inches apart. “Although I have yet to see if it works on men,” he purred. Time to give another push, hopefully without burning his hand this time.

Ryuji’s cheeks flushed a deep shade of scarlet, and his brown eye widened as he stared for a moment before shoving Akira away. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” he blustered, brandishing the wooden spoon at Akira like a knife..

Akira had been caught completely off-guard when he was pushed away, and he skidded on the floor before finding his balance again, unable to do more than blink stupidly at Ryuji’s furious countenance. No one had ever reacted to his advances that way, and he found himself at a complete loss for words. “I-I was, it was only…” flirting was one thing, but trying to explain his actions was nothing short of humiliating.

“Do you like makin’ fun of me?” growled Ryuji. “You think it’s some hilarious joke? You’re effin’ sick!” he glared at Akira, and Akira wanted nothing more than for the floorboards to open up and plunge him into the ocean, although strangling this damned oblivious captain didn’t sound like a bad idea either.

Ryuji huffed before turning away, grabbing a plate and shoveling a portion of food on. He slid the plate across the counter towards Akira. “Here, ask someone to show you where Yusuke’s room is and take this with you. Don’t ever talk to me again unless it’s important.”

That was the last straw. Akira grabbed Ryuji by the shoulders and whipped him around,  pinning him to the countertop and causing the other boy to yelp as he was found face-to-face with Akira again. “Oh honestly, it’s like you’re missing both of your eyes! Can’t you tell when someone’s flirting with you, idiot?!” he hissed, digging his fingers into Ryuji’s coat.

Ryuji went dead silent after that, gawking at him, and it took a moment for Akira to register what he just said. His face started to heat up, and he slowly let go of Ryuji before walking away, grabbing the plate of food on his way out of the kitchen.

“I’ll see myself out now,”

“Okay… sure…”

Akira distantly wondered how long it would take for him to drown if he dove off the balcony.

* * *

 

A chance encounter with Ann gave Akira the directions he needed to find Yusuke’s room.

He knocked on the door. “Excuse me, Yusuke?” he called. “I was told I needed to deliver you food.”

A few moments later the door cracked slightly open, and a pair of onyx-colored eyes peaked suspiciously at him through the slit. Akira was about to slide the plate through when the door suddenly flung open.

“Come inside!” a voice, presumably Yusuke’s, ordered, and Akira found himself being pulled inside the room by the arm.

“I would like your opinion on this piece,” continued Yusuke as Akira stumbled to a halt.

“Nice to meet you too,” muttered Akira, brushing a mysterious flaky substance off his sleeve from where Yusuke had grabbed him. Upon closer inspection Akira noticed that Yusuke’s hands were smeared with paint, and one paint-stained hand was directing his gaze towards an easel that supported one of the most beautiful paintings Akira had ever seen.

Hues of gold and red swirled together to make the fiery rays of a beautiful sunset, light shimmering across an ocean formed by merging various tints of blue into tranquil waves. Above the water, the silhouette of a large ship rested on the ocean, outlined by the warm glow of the sun. Akira had seen his fair share of  artwork from pieces lining the hallways of the mansions he’s infiltrated, but few pieces he had seen before could ever compare to this.

“It’s… beautiful,” breathed Akira. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it.”

Yusuke looked at him and then back at the painting before shaking his head. “I appreciate the sentiment, but it’s rather pointless.” he sighed. “Something more descriptive would be helpful, if you could.” he held up his hands and created a rectangle with his fingers to inspect the painting through. “For instance, what emotion would you say this painting instills in you? I tried to evoke a sense of serenity with the sunset and calm ocean, but…”

Yusuke continued to ramble and didn’t seem to notice as Akira slowly backed away to set the plate of food on the nightstand beside the bed. He sat on the mattress, gradually beginning to tune out Yusuke’s voice when he noticed a large mass of fur pressed against the foot of the easel. Upon closer inspection Akira could see that the ball of fur was moving, the steady rise and fall indicating that it was actually breathing.

“Is that a cat?” asked Akira.

Yusuke stopped talking and glanced down. “Ah, yes. His name is Morgana. He’s rather friendly, usually found strolling around the ship, but every now and then he will come to my room for some peace and quiet. My cabin is one of the few places on a ship such as this where you will find it, after all.”

“I see. Is that why you don’t eat in the dining room with everyone else?”

Yusuke nodded. “The ruckus interferes with my thoughts when thinking of potential pieces, but every now and then I will eat there so I can go people watching. People are often one of the best sources of inspiration, after all.” He walked towards Akira, leaning forward and carefully inspecting his face. “Actually, now that I think about it, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you before. Are you by chance a new member?”

Akira smiled in return. “Akira Kurusu, at your service. My partner and I are new members of the Adventure Galley. I’m assuming that you’re Yusuke?”

Yusuke nodded. “Yusuke Kitagawa. I create paintings for the Okumura family.”

“Impressive, with skills like yours you must generate quite a bit of revenue.” remarked Akira.

“Admittedly, yes, but it always leaves a foul taste in my mouth to discuss my artwork in terms of proceeds. I much prefer painting for the sake of expressing beauty.” Yusuke sighed and turned to look at his painting again. “I was actually hoping for Ann to deliver my food instead. Inspiration always manages to strike me whenever she’s around, so I make sure to request her constantly.”

“That’s probably why she sent me instead.” muttered Akira.

“Perhaps so, but as a fellow artist herself she should at least understand my plight,” complained Yusuke, burying his forehead in the palm of his hand.

“Wait, Ann paints too?”

“Not at all. The Okumura family has a particular fondness for the arts, so they’re helping Ann build her career as a theatre actress. She’s already had a few successful shows, although her initial acting skills were atrocious, so I’ve heard.”

A meow sounded from the foot of the easel, and Akira saw Morgana peer his head out from his sleeping position, tail swishing side to side.

“No, Morgana,” sighed Yusuke. “I’m afraid that Ann is not in the room. Morgana has a particular fondness for Ann, so he always perks up whenever he hears her name. It’s amusing, really, it’s almost like he possesses a human conscience.”

“Yeah, funny,” mumbled Akira. He didn’t have time to waste spending his whole day chatting, so he stood up from the mattress and headed for the door. “Well, enjoy your food, Yusuke, and good luck on finding that finishing touch.”

“Thank you, Akira. I appreciate you delivering my meal.” murmured Yusuke half-mindedly, paintbrush raised in hand as he resumed concentrating on his piece.

Akira was about to close the door when he heard a meow below him. Looking down, he was surprised to see Morgana curling around his legs, purring insistently.

“Hey, shoo! Go bother someone else,”  ordered Akira. He scooted Morgana to the side with his foot and resumed walking, but the sound of paws pattering behind him indicated that Morgana was following him. A few hallways down the cat was still trailing after him, and Akira stopped to glare at him. “Don’t you have anything better to do?”

Morgana tilted his head to the side and trilled in what sounded like amusement, startling Akira with his almost human-like reaction. Did the cat really have a human conscience like Yusuke had claimed?

“Oh, it’s you,”

Akira turned around to see Sae at the other end of the hallway.

“Ah, good morning, Miss Nijima. Fancy seeing you here,” greeted Akira. “Are you heading down for breakfast?”

“Actually, I am, which is strange since I’d assume you’d do the same, and yet you’re headed in the opposite direction,” said Sae harshly.

“My mistake. I don’t know the ship well enough yet so I get lost rather easily.”

Sae huffed. “Listen, Kurusu. I just want to clearly express that I don’t trust you, not in the slightest. I’ll be keeping a close eye on you, and if you show any indication of wanting to harm Ms. Okumura, the captain, or my sister, I’ll make sure that you disappear from the ship completely.”

That caught Akira’s interest. “Oh? I can understand why you want to protect Ms. Okumura and Makoto, but what is the captain to you? Surely you owe nothing to some unruly pirate captain whom you hold no economic or familial ties with.”

Sae didn’t respond as she walked past Akira, and Akira smirked as he saw her walk farther and farther away from him before finally following her down the hall to the dining room, Morgana hot on his heels and meowing in what sounded like concern.

Just what kind of relationship did Sae have with Ryuji, and how could he use it to his advantage?

* * *

“So, here are all of the details I found on Captain Sakamoto,” started Futaba.

They were back in Akira’s room again, sitting cross-legged on his bed. Thankfully Morgana had gotten bored and stopped following him, so it was just the two of them.

Futaba really never failed to impress Akira: among her specialties was picking up information she overheard from walking around target sites, and so she had applied the same skill towards finding any potentially useful knowledge regarding Captain Sakamoto.

“Ryuji Sakamoto, nineteen years old, birthday is July third. He’s been captain for about a year ever since his mother’s death. Favorite dishes usually contain noodles or some sort of meat, preferably beef, so I’d say make more of those in the future. He’s dimwitted, but also one of the most considerate people you’ll ever meet. Short-tempered, but tries his best to avoid fights. Once spent an entire afternoon thinking he was a mermaid after he drank too much saltwater—”

“Wait a second,” protested Akira. “Most of this is great information, but it’s weird how specific it is. How did you manage to get all this?”

“Hm? Oh, I asked Ann.”

“ _What?!_ ”

“Relax, Akira. I didn’t tell her about our plan, I only told her that you had interest in the captain,” dismissed Futaba. “She was more than happy to help me. Said she thought it’d be good for the captain to have a partner.”

“Futaba, why would you— that’s incredibly risky! You know I don’t actually have feelings for the captain, what if she tells someone else?”

“Ann wants this to work out, so I doubt she’s gonna go blabbing about it, and besides, it’s the best option we’ve got. The rest of the crew is too suspicious of us, so they won’t talk when I’m around.” Futaba gave a mischievous grin. “Anyways, how’d it go with the captain? I was told it’s also his turn to cook today.”

Akira forced a smile. “It went very smoothly. You should’ve seen him, I practically had him wrapped around my finger,” he boasted.

“Nice work, Akira! Keep this up and we’ll be running off with their treasure in no time,” praised Futaba as she sprang from the bed,” Well, I’m gonna go chat with Ann some more. See ya!”

The door closed shut, and Akira was left alone to sink in his own dread for the upcoming meeting with Ryuji.

In Akira’s mind, the situation seemed bleak, to say the least.

* * *

 

Akira didn’t bother greeting the captain as he entered the kitchen.

Ryuji walked to the opposite side of the counter, and they worked together in complete silence as Akira slid the prepared ingredients towards him to put in the pot.

This was perfectly fine, Akira could handle this so long as…

“Hey,”

His grip on the knife tightened at the sound of Ryuji’s voice. “Something wrong, captain?” he asked quietly.

“Do you… like me?”

Akira almost threw the knife at him. “Don’t be ridiculous, I was only trying to poke fun at you, nothing more.” he stated calmly as he continued to chop up the dough into individual strips.

“I mean, yeah, that makes sense. It’s what I thought at first, but then you got pissed and called it flirting, so…” Ryuji trailed off as he heard Akira set the knife down and walk over.

Akira wordlessly grabbed Ryuji’s face in his hand,  gently squeezing his cheeks together and tilting his chin up. “Captain, you’re going to have a hard time in life if you mistake frivolities for affection.” he hissed. “If I wanted to have someone, I assure you I would choose a person that’s much more suited to my taste,”

Ryuji’s glare gave him a sort of smug satisfaction as he let go of his face, and he smirked at him until he felt something powdery explode on the left side of his head. Akira coughed as he wiped the dust from his eyes only to see Ryuji holding up a hand caked with flour. “You got flour on my face,” said Ryuji as he wiped a bit from the two white splotches imprinted on his cheeks. “That was payback.”

Akira flushed at that, brushing off the flour from his own face with the sleeve of his coat. Ryuji smirked at him, and Akira huffed as he grabbed a handful of flour from the bag. “Why you—”

A thunderous boom followed by the ship suddenly lurching to the side caught him off balance. Akira grabbed the counter for support as he and Ryuji stumbled around, water splashing from the pot as the ship rocked violently.

“We’re under attack!” a distant voice shrieked. “Everyone on deck now!”

They glanced at each other with wide eyes before clicking the stove off and rushing upstairs, Ryuji in front with Akira trailing closely behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Ahhhhhh thanks for reading!)


	7. The Fear of Falling Apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Hi guys!  
> Sorry for not updating in a while, I was figuring out some life stuff, but I think I'm okay now! Thanks so much for being patient and sticking around!  
> So here's chatper 7, hope you enjoy reading!)

The first thing Akira noticed when they scrambled on deck was the pool of water sloshing around the wooden floor. He barely had time to register what was going on before another boom rang through the air, a heavy splash erupting in the ocean a distance off from where the ship was. Akira turned to see the source of the boom coming from an approaching schooner, cannons aimed in their direction.

“Whoever is manning those cannons is a terrible shot. They missed us completely.” remarked Akira.

“They’re warning shots. Tellin’ us to stay where we are or else they’ll sink us.” growled Ryuji. “Bastards. Only reason they aren’t sinking us is because they need my head as proof for the bounty.”

“So what do we do, captain?” asked Akira, although he already knew the answer, as much as he didn’t want to acknowledge it.

“It’s obvious, ain’t it?” Ryuji unsheathed the cutlass hanging from the side of his belt. “We fight our way out.”

Oh, great. Akira’s hand flew to the dagger tucked away in his cloak, and he joined Ryuji at the railing as they waited with the rest of the crew for the ship to arrive, tense with anticipation while it sailed closer and closer.

A few minutes later and the schooner lurched into the Adventure Galley, causing Akira to lose his footing and stumble a bit while Ryuji, apparently used to situations such as these, remained completely unfazed while wood and metal scraped together.

A group of rather unruly-looking men leered at them from the opposite side of the railing, and at their front a young man with brown hair tied back in a short ponytail stood waiting, arms folded across his chest while he seemed to be assessing the Adventure Galley crew.

“Alright, listen up!” shouted the young man. “We’re only here for Sakamoto’s bounty. Hand him over along with all of your valuables and we’ll leave without another fuss, but refuse and we’ll take it from you by force.”

“Go rot in hell, Akechi!” yelled a pirate, brandishing his sabre at him.

Akechi frowned, a sigh escaping his lips as he turned to look at his crew behind him. “Well, they gave us their answer.” Without another word Akechi leapt over the railing followed by at least thirty shouting men, all armed with weapons.

“Tear ‘em apart!” cried Ryuji, rushing headlong to intercept one man and his blade slashing across his chest in a spray of blood.

More shouts and cries added to the chaos, and Akira found himself in the midst of a full-out brawl, narrowly avoiding the thrust of a bounty-hunter’s cutlass as he caught the man’s arm, twisting his shoulder out of place before slamming the handle of his dagger against his head, the bounty-hunter slumping to the ground. Akira detested killing, but that would be hard to avoid in a situation like this where there was nowhere to hide, no place he could sneak up from behind to disarm his opponents.

A shriek sounded from not too far, and Akira immediately recognized it as Ann. He quickly weaved through the whirlwind of blood and metal to hopefully make it in time to save her, and when he got there he saw Ann sprawled on the ground, her attacker more interested in ripping her clothes to shreds than killing her.

“You fucking pig!” she screamed, and right when Akira was about to step in and help she gave the man a sharp kick to his groin, causing him to wheeze and double over while she landed a heavy blow to the head with an iron skillet, knocking him unconscious.

“I swear, some people just aren’t born human,” muttered Ann, huffing as she stood up and dusted herself off before she noticed Akira, who was trying to look anywhere except the large rip right down the middle of her bodice. “What? It was all I had time to grab,” protested Ann, twirling the skillet in her hand.

“Good to see you’re okay,” muttered Akira before scurrying off to see if anyone else needed help. He dragged a man bleeding profusely from a gash in his arm away from the fight, and Akira hesitated before steeling himself to dive back into the fray. At one point he saw Makoto and Sae defending an injured woman, and he swept the woman away from behind. “I’ve got her, get back in the fight!” he yelled.

Makoto smiled at him, while Sae simply glared at him before joining her sister in fighting off another band of bounty-hunters.

The floor was slippery with blood now, and Akira almost tripped over some poor soul’s body.

“H-hey, are you okay?” asked Akira, bending over to try and shake him awake. He pressed two fingers to the person’s neck, cursing when he felt no pulse.

“Akira!” Ann shrieked.

"What's wrong?!" shouted Akira. He turned around and froze completely when he saw a man looming above him, cutlass raised above his head as he prepared to slice him open. Time seemed to slow for Akira, and his mind went completely blank as he saw the blade slowly descend upon him. He felt nothing as the blade fell, not even fear.

 _Goodbye Futaba_.

A few drops of blood spattering onto his face were enough to help him regain his senses, and Akira looked up to see Ryuji above him, blood dribbling from above as the blade sliced right into his shoulder and chest.

“Ryuji…”

A pain-ridden wheeze, and Ryuji collapsed to his knees, shuddering with each laborious breath while blood poured steadly onto the floor. Akira caught him right before he fell over, and shock left him speechless as he stared stupidly at Ryuji’s face, the color gradually draining from his cheeks.

“R-Ryuji…” he repeated. Oh god. Please no…

“I…diot…” hissed Ryuji, clinging to Akira’s arm. The grip on his arm went slack, and that was the last thing Ryuji said before he went completely limp, eyes half-closed and glassy.

“What a stupid captain.” scoffed the bounty hunter. “No use protecting him now that he’s dead. Just hand him over.”

Akira didn’t reply. He gently placed Ryuji on to the floor beside the corpse of the other fallen man before standing up. He looked at his hands, stained with Ryuji’s blood, and he could feel himself trembling as something malicious consumed him entirely, eating up his consciousness until all that remained was pure hatred. The next thing he knew he was wrapping a hand around the man’s neck as he shoved him to the floor, fingers closing around his throat while the bounty hunter struggled and gasped for air. He wanted to see this bastard suffer, watching the way his face turned red and saliva frothed at his lips while he cut off his air supply. The man thrashed around like a dying fish to throw him off, and Akira watched the pathetic spectacle for a few moments before raising his dagger with all intent of putting the son-of-a-bitch out of his misery. It was all his fault, he had to take responsibility for it…

“That’s enough!” a hand grabbed his wrist before he could land the killing blow, and Akira slowly turned to see Sae restraining him, blood trickling from her temple.

“Akechi’s crew is retreating. There’s no need for any more bloodshed,” panted Sae.

The man below him was struggling feebly, and Akira slowly released his neck, listening to him gasp and wheeze for breath as he stood up. He watched as the bounty hunter scrambled to his feet and fled, leaving Ryuji’s body behind in order to catch the schooner before it sailed away.

“He took the hit for me.” mumbled Akira, and he could feel himself starting to tremble again. “I sat there, waiting for the sword to cut me open, and instead he took the blow for me. Ryuji, he…”

Sae rapped her knuckles against Akira’s forehead. “Don’t be so quick to mark him off as dead,” she sighed. “Look,” she turned to where Ryuji was, and a stretcher was lifting him up and carrying him away with Tae closely following it.

“It’s severe, but not untreatable. That’s what Tae said.” murmured Sae.

Akira could hardly believe it. Then Ryuji wasn’t dead?

“No promises though, he might not make it still,” said Sae.

It was a small glimmer of hope, but Akira would desperately cling to it nonetheless.

He didn’t think he could live with himself if Ryuji died because of him.

“Sae!” shouted Makoto. She stumbled towards her sister, manhandling a struggling Akechi and shoving him to his knees. Akechi glared up at them, hands tied behind his back and blood flowing freely from his nose.

“Looks like your friends abandoned you, Goro.” muttered Sae.

Goro gave a hollow laugh. “Friends? Don’t be silly. They’re just grunts who were in it for the money. Of course they don’t care about what happens to me.” he replied, smiling bitterly.

“Regardless, we’ll deal with you later.” Sae nodded towards Makoto, and she dragged Goro off to presumably the same place Akira had been locked up.

“We’ll finish cleaning up here. You can go check on the captain.” said Sae. The look on her face was almost sympathetic, and Akira’s throat felt tight as he nodded, walking away without another word as he went downstairs and headed to the infirmary.

* * *

 

Akira lost track of how long he had been sitting by Ryuji’s bedside. Maybe a few hours; it didn’t matter. All that mattered was when Ryuji finally opened his eyes, a weak groan escaping his lips as he tried to move his arm.

The relief that washed over Akira was overwhelming, to say the least.

“Ryuji? Can you hear me?” Akira asked gently.

Ryuji slowly turned his head, eyes flickering in recognition.

“Akira…” he wheezed slowly. He tried to lift his head,  staring at the bloodied bandages wrapped around his shoulder and upper chest area.

“The wound isn’t very deep, so luckily the sword didn’t cut through anything vital.” explained Tae while firmly pushing him back in place. “But _don’t_ try to get up. You’re going to pull apart the stitches.”

Ryuji groaned in frustration, turning his head to the side to avoid Tae’s sharp gaze. “ ‘nd the others?” he mumbled.

“Several injured, one dead.” sighed Tae. She turned and gave a small, doleful smile to Akira. “Although I suppose it could’ve been worse if you hadn’t stepped in. Thank you, Akira.”

“It’s no trouble.” said Akira somberly.

“…Are you hurt?” asked Ryuji.

Akira lightly tapped the large bandage stuck to his cheek. “The most I got was a graze, because you…” he trailed off, clearing his throat when he remembered that Tae was still there. “U-Um, I’m sorry, may I please have a moment in private with the captain?” he requested.

Tae nodded, and she slipped behind the curtain, leaving just Akira and Ryuji.

“Why did you do it?” asked Akira. “You didn’t have to. It’s – it doesn’t make any sense! Are you an idiot?! You could have died!” he knew he was raising his voice, but he didn’t care.

Ryuji stared at him for a moment, his face breaking into an infuriating smirk. “Why do you care? I just made the decision to save your skin on the spot, that’s all.” he replied nonchalantly. “I guess that makes me an idiot since I wasn’t thinking when I jumped in front of the sword.” he looked away. “But whatever, what’s done is done.”

Akira had never been so infuriated in his life. “That’s all you can say? What kind of pirate captain prioritizes a single crewmember above himself?” he’s shaking in anger.

Ryuji merely shrugged his shoulders. “An idiotic one, apparently.”  
That was the final straw. “You, you—” Akira clambered onto the bed, and before he knew it he’s grabbing Ryuji by the shoulders. He didn’t know what he was going to do now that he was looking into Ryuji’s defiant eyes. Maybe he’d punch him, yell at him some more. Maybe…

He didn’t think of another option when he crashed his lips against Ryuji’s.

Ryuji tensed beneath him, and it only took a moment for Akira to realize what the hell he was doing and pull away, staring at Ryuji’s stupefied expression.

“I…” Akira panted, face burning. “I wasn’t thinking,” He couldn’t move, completely paralyzed until the sound of the curtain swishing open caught him by surprise.

“And just what do you think you’re doing to the captain?” asked Tae furiously.

“I—” Akira wasn’t given a chance to defend himself before he was pulled off the bed by the collar and shoved out the door.

“The captain’s in no condition to be moving about. Save the fighting for when he’s in better health.” scolded Tae before shutting the door in his face.

Akira stared at the door before slowly turning away, stumbling down the hall in a trance while he relayed what just occurred in his mind over and over again.

Maybe he should just tell Futaba the truth already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Thanks for reading! Love u guys <3)


	8. Desire and Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I LIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!!!!  
> Hey guys!! Sorry for the disappearance, college has been a pain in the ass but fails to deter my love for pegoryu! Without further ado, I hope you enjoy reading chapter 8! Thanks for sticking around!!)

It took an entire week before Akira finally mustered up the courage to visit Ryuji again.

His life had fallen into a comfortable routine ever since the fight with Akechi’s crew, mostly cooking food and sparring with Makoto, but Futaba wasn’t impressed.

“You know, you’ll have to talk to him eventually,” sighed Futaba. She swished a makeshift cat toy she had fashioned out of twine in front of Morgana as she walked, the feline darting eagerly across the floor to attack it before its attention was caught by something else, bounding down a different hallway.

“I know. I’m just waiting for the right time,” answered Akira as they strolled down the hall, a plate of food he had prepared for Yusuke in his hand.

“Yeah? And when’s that?” scoffed Futaba before they stopped in front of Yusuke’s door.

“When Ryuji forgets everything that happened and assumes I’m just messing with him again,” replied Akira flatly before knocking.

Futaba opened her mouth as if to say something, but she shut it again when Yusuke opened the door like clockwork, their visit now a daily routine since he practically refused to come out during his “newfound strike of inspiration”. Akira vaguely wondered if he even left to use the bathroom. They went inside, setting the plate on the nightstand, but as he turned to leave Futaba didn’t follow, eyes transfixed on whatever painting was resting on the easel.

“I don’t know, I think you made him a little _too_ good-looking,” remarked Futaba, causing Akira to turn his head.

Yusuke scoffed. “I thought it would be obvious enough that’s the intention. Love tends to overlook all flaws and leave behind nothing but perfection, in case you are unaware. While others may see impurities, the admirer sees nothing but beauty.”

Akira whipped around at that, and when he got a full glimpse of the painting he wanted nothing more than to run out of the room and stick his head in a loaded cannon. Futaba was right, the paint that composed the details of Ryuji’s face made him look handsome to the point of being otherworldly, an angel sent to Earth. He wore a loose-fitting, flowing white tunic which draped around a body that Yusuke had painted with the same smooth finish and carved muscle of a marble sculpture. The worst part? Still in creation, Akira could make out the form of his own head and torso, a hand gently clasping Ryuji’s and lifting it to his face, lips barely hovering above it as if hesitant about whether or not he should place a kiss and eyes lowered in subtle uncertainty. Ryuji deigned to look on, bored curiosity written across his features as he stared at the tentative admirer.

“What… What the _hell_ Yusuke?” wheezes Akira, shaking all over. He’s not sure if he’s more embarrassed or furious. “What _is_ this?”

Yusuke’s eyes lit up in realization. “Ah, how rude of me! My sincerest apologies, I was about to usher you away without even asking for the opinion of the subject himself. How is it? Did I capture your emotions appropriately?”

“Not at all!” yelled Akira. He made two steps towards the canvas with the intent to tear it to shreds before Futaba held him back, which was impressive considering her size.

“Mmph, Akira wait!” she gasped, feet struggling to get a good hold on the floor while Akira struggled.

Yusuke seemed shocked by his reaction, as if he couldn’t comprehend what he had done wrong. “Have I misunderstood? I merely thought…”

“You thought?! Who in their right mind would _think_ this is okay?!”  
“Akira, that’s enough!” shouted Futaba.

“Get out of the way, Futaba. Can you imagine what would happen if the rest of the crew saw this? I’ll be a laughing stock because of him!”

“It’s not his fault! I was the one who told him about you and Ryuji!” protested Futaba.

Akira stopped dead in his tracks. “...You what?”

Futaba’s eyes dart to the floor, shoulders slumped in an attempt to make herself look even smaller. “It was… It was when Akechi’s crew attacked. I figured I’d be no good in a fight, so I ran down to the lower deck to get out of everyone’s way, and while I was fleeing I ran into Inari.”

“I told you to refrain from calling me that,” muttered Yusuke.

Futaba ignored him “He was on his way to fight, but when he saw me he told me to follow him to his room and we hid there.” she wouldn’t look Akira in the eye as she spoke. “We struck up some small talk, and he complained about how he didn’t have any inspiration for new pieces.”

“Really, it’s astounding how much space you can take up despite your small stature,” muttered Yusuke.

“Shut it, Inari,” snapped Futaba. They glared at each other for a few moments before Futaba started up again. “A-Anyways, I… told him I might have an idea, and so… here we are,” she glances up nervously at Akira, as if afraid he might explode at any moment.

For a moment Akira didn’t say a word, still trying to process Futaba’s explanation. “But… why would you do that?” asked Akira.

Despite her obvious anxiousness, Futaba’s eyes harden, standing up tall. “Akira, you can’t keep hiding this forever. Most of the crew already suspects you and the captain are in an affair after last week’s incident and the way you two constantly hang around each other. Wouldn’t it be the best to let everyone know the truth before the rumors spiral out of hand, for your sake? And I’m not talking about this whole scheme you concocted, I mean for your own happiness, darn it.”  muttered Futaba. She nervously fidgeted with a strand of her hair. “But I know it was wrong of me to tell him without your permission, and I’m really sorry for that. I guess I got caught up in the conversation…”

Akira went deadly silent, mind still reeling. “So… you mean to tell me you already knew the whole time?” he asked softly. Which was surprising, considering that Akira himself couldn’t make sense of what his own reactions towards Ryuji meant until last week.

Futaba shrugged her shoulders, a sheepish smile on her face. “I had a strong hunch, your confession really just confirmed it.”

He really couldn’t get anything past Futaba, could he? Akira sighed, a small smile of his own on his face as he ruffled a hand through Futaba’s hair.

“S-Stop that!” protested Futaba, although not really struggling against it. They both smiled at each other, the tension in the air easing back into the familiar bond they had.

“Pardon, but what scheme were you two conversing about?” asked Yusuke. Crap, Akira had forgotten he was still there.

“So nosey, Inari,” scolded Futaba. “Which is surprising since you’re still so oblivious about everything.”

“Why, I never!” huffed Yusuke. “You were the one who couldn’t tell the difference between the hues of any of my blue paints!”

“What does it matter? They’re all blue!” griped Futaba.

Akira chuckled as they continued bickering, glad that Futaba had made another friend on the ship. He gave a slight bow to Yusuke once they stopped. “Thank you for protecting Futaba during the fight, and I’m sorry for lashing out at you earlier.”

“Hey! You make it sound like he was looking after me!” objected Futaba, now sitting on the stool he kept next to his bed. “Which… is only half-true.”

“No need for that. You gave me the inspiration I needed to create a new piece, after all. Truthfully I considered representing the same subject with miss Haru and her escort instead, but considering she is my patron that may be too controversial,” confessed Yusuke.

 

Akira rolled his eyes at that. He wondered if Makoto or Haru knew about what Yusuke thought of them, but decided it was best to not say anything. “Just… don’t show this to anyone else on the ship. Please? For obvious reasons.”

“Of course,” answered Yusuke. “I doubt whoever buys this piece will even know who you two are, or at least wont recognize you with the alterations I made to fit the aesthetic.” he sighed, picking up the paintbrush again. “If only the captain naturally had a more graceful appearance.”

Akira left Futaba to chat (or rather argue) some more with Yusuke before heading down the hall, more resolute than ever.

When Akira walked into the infirmary, Tae was the first one to greet him.

“Ah, hello Kurusu-kun,” said Tae. “If you’re looking for the captain, he just went back to his quarters.”

That was better than Akira hoped; he wasn’t sure he could handle an audience. Tae gave him directions to Ryuji’s room, and when he found himself standing at the door he hesitated before knocking. An image of Yusuke’s painting flashed in his mind, how anxious he looked in his advances before Ryuji, and Akira steeled his resolution as he rapped his knuckles harshly on the door. It didn’t stop his heart from leaping in his chest when Ryuji opened the door, his eye widening in recognition and then narrowing in suspicion.

“What do you want?” he asked stiffly.

“May I come in?”

“...Fine.”

The door cracked open just enough to let Akira through, and looking around Akira realized this was the first time he had ever been in Ryuji’s room. An impressive-sized wooden desk rested in the center of the room, facing towards the door so that whoever sat in it would be aware if someone walked in. Perched on the wall behind the desk, a golden oval frame held a painted portrait of a woman who stared directly at Akira. Her eyes were cold, a scornful expression on her face as she glared down at him.

“Mom always hated that painting,” remarked Ryuji when he noticed Akira inspecting it.

“Then why did she keep it up?”

“Said it was a good for intimidation, having two sets of eyes watching you like that.” He sat down in the chair, and Akira didn’t miss the way he subtly winced as he eased down, his eye never leaving Akira’s gaze.

“So what did you want to talk about?” he asked, sweeping the clutter of pages on his desk to the side.

Akira cleared his throat, tapping the front of his shoe against the floor. “About last week…”

“Forget about it,” finished Ryuji flatly. He stood back up, sighing as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Is that really all you wanted to talk about? Listen, I’m over it, I get that you don’t like me like that, alright? There’s no need to apologize or say anything else, even if you did cross the line.”

  
“Cross the line?” Akira swallowed. “Don’t tell me you think I’m still toying with you?”

“And what else should I think?” Ryuji shot back, a harsh glint in his eye. “Listen, I’m honestly getting real fed up with your attitude towards me.” he’s raising his voice, and Akira can’t help but take a step back as Ryuji advanced toward him, faces barely a few inches apart. “I’m not going to force you to like me, but at least try to cut back on treating me like a joke! I’m the captain, and I need you to address me with due respect or so help me I’ll throw you off this ship myself-” his shouting was cut off as Ryuji crumpled in on himself, clutching his chest with a harsh wheeze. “Shit,” hissed Ryuji, rushing to the bed and hastily unbuttoning his shirt. Akira watched as the shirt fell to the floor, revealing a glimpse of the fresh black sutures stitched into the skin of his chest and shoulder before facing his back towards Akira. He panted for a moment, slumping in relief when he found no damage. “Makin’ me so angry I’m tearin’ out stitches,’ muttered Ryuji.

Akira doesn’t respond, eyes transfixed on the patterns of faded silver and pink etched on Ryuji’s torso where it had healed over countless wounds. “You’re covered in scars.” he stated.

“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” responded Ryuji sarcastically. He was about to put his shirt back on when Akira’s hand on his back made him jolt, looking over his shoulder. “H-Hey-”

Akira ignored him, his fingers gliding across the skin and brushing over a sliver of puckered skin on his back. “What’s this one from?” he asked softly, tracing its outline.

Ryuji is silent for a long moment before letting out a deep sigh. “... got into a fight when I was a kid. I won, but the other kid pulled out a knife and stabbed me when I had my back turned.” he let out a bittersweet chuckle. “Had to hold back my ma’s crew from killing the brat.”

“I see,” Akira’s hands don’t stop there, continuing to map out Ryuji’s skin beneath his fingertips, he grasped Ryuji’s arm, feeling him tense beneath his touch as he inspected the large burn scar on Ryuji’s forearm, usually covered by long sleeves. “And this one?”

“Fire on the ship,” answered Ryuji reluctantly. “ Burned myself trying to put it out… look, why do you care so much?”

“I just think it’s beautiful,” murmured Akira, and he didn’t miss the slight tremor that ran through Ryuji’s body as he ran his calloused hands down his waist. “So many stories to each one.”

“You still messing with me? Who in their right mind would think they look good?” muttered Ryuji, although he’s not resisting Akira at all.

“Ryuji, just forget everything I said to you before, alright?” he sighed, wrapping his arms around Ryuji’s waist.

“Yeah, and why should I?”

“Because I take it all back.” he’s burying his face into the crook of Ryuji’s neck, lips hovering over the unmarked skin. “... To be honest, I’m certain I’ve fallen in love with you,”

Ryuji sucked in a sharp breath. “Akira-”

“I was afraid in the beginning, I couldn’t figure out why you irritated me so much, but then I realized it was just me struggling to cope with my own feelings.” his lips were brushing against Ryuji’s neck now, planting soft kisses. “Please, Ryuji, I’ve never felt this way about anyone before…”

Ryuji’s trembling in his hold, and Akira tilted his head towards him so that he could pull him in for a kiss, quick and chaste before Ryuji pulled away after a fleeting moment. “I-I can’t,” Ryuji began struggling against him, and Akira reluctantly let go, a rueful smile on his face when Ryuji turned to face him. “Listen, Akira, I’m sorry, but I don’t… I don’t think I feel the same way,” he mumbled, glancing to the side. “Everything you do really confuses me, and I just can’t figure you out.”

Akira slumped his shoulders. “That’s… understandable, considering how poorly I’ve treated you. Then,” he turned to the door. “I won’t bother you anymore. I’m sorry captain, and I wish you a good day,”

“Wait.”

Akira stopped, hand on the doorknob. He felt Ryuji’s hand on his shoulder, turning him back around. “S... Show me,” he demanded, hands awkwardly patting Akira’s coat.

Akira blinked at him. “I’m sorry?”

“Show me your… your scars. I-I wanna see. It’s only fair since you saw mine” huffed Ryuji, face flushed beet red. “I-If you even have any…”

“Hey, being a thief isn’t exactly the safest profession, you know,” muttered Akira. His own face burned as he complied to Ryuji’s wishes, shedding his coat onto the floor and tossing his shirt after it. He stood there, suddenly self-conscious as he felt Ryuji’s gaze burn into him. He restrained a shiver when a finger pressed lightly into his left shoulder, and Akira knew exactly which scar caught Ryuji’s attention. “This one’s weird,” remarked Ryuji, tracing the three small, jagged circles spaced closely together in a neat line.

“I was at a dinner party,” mumbled Akira. “A certain landlord’s daughter did not take it well when she caught me flirting with another lady there for information. Promptly stabbed her cake fork right into my shoulder. Fortunately it gave me an excuse to slip away and explore the rest of the manor.”

Ryuji gave a huff of laughter at that. “The hell? That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,”

Akira smiled, and Ryuji’s hands trailed lower, thumb sliding over a narrow stripe of pink flesh embedded into the side of Akira’s oblique muscle. “And this one?”

“Fencing match,” answered Akira. “I had offended the son of a nobleman when I addressed him by the improper title. I won after I found out he had tampered with my sabre and switched it with his when he wasn’t looking, but not before receiving this.”

Ryuji scoffed. “Bastards, always so full of themselves just because they have a bit of money.” His hands still rested on Akira’s waist as he stared at the dark imprint of a bite mark from some beast on Akira’s wrist, the teeth punctures wrapping around the bottom of his hand. “Whatever did that must have been huge,” said Ryuji.

Akira hesitated. “A dog bit me while I was scrounging for food in someone’s trash. Poor thing was hungrier than I was.”

Ryuji looked surprised. “You serious?”

“It was when I was much younger and still living on the streets. I didn’t really mind that it bit me though. The people I ran into tended to treat me much worse.” he gave a bitter laugh. “But that’s done and over with. Sojiro took me in after he caught me stealing food, even cleaned the bite as he scolded me. Long story short I became a thief after that to help others who were suffering like I was.” he looked down at Ryuji. “Now then, are we done? Most of the other scars you’ll find will have the same story, wounds inflicted on me while I was an unwanted child.”

Ryuji bit his lip, eyes lowered to the ground. “Akira… I don’t think you’re a bad person, now that I’ve gotten to know you a little better.” He withdrew his hands as he stood back up, brows furrowed together. “Argh, great, now I’m just more confused,” Ryuji groaned, clutching his head.

Akira, tired of his antics, simply rolled his eyes and grasped both of Ryuji’s wrists, pulling him in for another kiss, and then a few more after that.

“Mmph?” Ryuji gasped into the kisses, his resistance barely there as he struggled weakly. “A-Akira, cut it out!”

Akira ignored him, and the fight slowly left Ryuji as he gradually began leaning into the kisses and chasing his lips. He pulled away for a moment, admiring Ryuji’s flushed face and listening to the short breaths escaping kiss-swollen lips. Simply gorgeous.

“I can’t hold back any longer,” murmured Akira, and he pushed Ryuji back onto the bed, careful not to touch his stitches. Ryuji clung to Akira’s back for dear life, a soft moan escaping his lips when he felt Akira begin to kiss his neck.

“A-Akira,” he gasped.

“Get ready darling,” he chuckled, his hand smoothing over Ryuji’s stomach and trailing lower still. “The fun’s only just begun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (You know what's coming next chapter ;)  
> Thanks for reading!!! It's been a while so I'm sorry if my writing is rusty ;-;)


	9. Hindsight is 20/20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Hey guys!! Thank you so much for your patience! I'm sorry I can't update as frequently, but I promise I haven't given up on this story.  
> There's smut in the beginning, but the cut-off is marked by a line if you don't want to read it.  
> So anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter!)

Ryuji was trembling so violently in his hold that Akira felt the need to check on him.

“Is everything alright, Ryuji?” he asked gently, carding his fingers through blond hair.

“Course not,” Ryuji choked out, letting go of Akira’s neck and flinching when he felt Akira smooth his hair. His left hand resided to grabbing a fistful of the cotton sheets, knuckles white from exertion. “Y-You just- fucking _jumped_ me without even askin’, and then you start touching me everywhere like I’m your fucking property or something,” there’s an anxious look in his eye, so intense to the point that Akira would call it fear.

“Property..? That’s not what I… I just want to make you feel good,” objected Akira, shoulders slumping. Honestly though, what the hell was he doing? Pinning Ryuji down like a dog in heat. Guilt washed over him, and he was about to pull away when Ryuji’s right hand clutched his wrist and yanked him forward.

“You better not disappoint me then.” he growled, face flushed dark red.

Akira blinked at him, completely taken aback by his reaction. “H-Huh? But you just said-”

“Shut up,” snapped Ryuji before crushing their lips together in a kiss that left Akira’s mind reeling. When Akira pulled away he could still see the anxiousness in Ryuji’s expression, but there was also determination set in his features to see this through. “I’m not thinking straight anymore, so hurry up before I change my mind.”

Akira’s mouth felt dry, and he swallowed thickly, trying his best to crack a flirtatious smile despite his pounding heart. “Yes sir, captain.” he lilted, and with that he’s leaning forward and nibbling on the delicate skin of Ryuji’s collarbone, sucking on it for a few moments before pulling away to admire the blossoming hickey left behind.

“Idiot! Don’t leave marks,” hissed Ryuji, his blush seeping all the way down to his shoulders once he realized what Akira had done. “I can’t have other people seeing this!”

“Then wear something that isn’t low cut,” retorted Akira, although he complied with Ryuji’s order and refrained from leaving any more marks. “Anything else I should know beforehand? Once I start I might not be able to hold back…”

Ryuji didn’t say anything for a few long moments, staring down anxiously at Akira. “Did you… have you ever done something like this before?” he asked.

“Done what?” teased Akira.

“Damn it, you know what I mean Akira.”

Akira cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably. “Admittedly, yes. I’ve been through a good deal of love affairs in my profession, although each one under a different name.” Looking back it was a wonder he hadn’t been caught considering the number of hearts he had broken after one night of passion, but thankfully Futaba always planned ahead to make sure no discernable pattern presented itself between the location of each heist. Appealing to emotions made his targets so much more trusting. He  gave a small smile. “And what about you, captain? I’m sure you’ve had some adventures of your own after travelling the seas for so long.”

Ryuji bit his lip and turned away. “... I haven’t, I’m not…”

_Oh._

“You’re a virgin,” finished Akira bluntly.

Ryuji flushed dark red at that and pushed himself upright. “S-So what?! You got a problem with that?” he spluttered.

“Of course not. You really think I’d care about something like that?” snapped Akira.

Ryuji slumped his shoulders at that, as if relieved. His eye took an interest in the floor, a pink blush dusting his cheeks.

“Um… s-so what does it feel like?”  he mumbled as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“What are you, a child?”

“Shut up! Ain’t my fault you decided to jump me and make this all weird!”

Akira sighed and placed a hand over Ryuji’s. Ryuji winced at the touch, but this time he didn’t pull away. “How about this…” he’s upon him again, and the color in Ryuji’s face flushed bright red as Akira smoothed a hand down his stomach. “If it’s alright with you, I’m going to try out some different things, and you tell me if you like them or not.” he dipped his thumb into the hem of Ryuji’s pants, eliciting a shiver from him.

“A-Ah, fine, but try anything funny and I’ll beat the shit out of you.”

“Sure.”

Akira slid Ryuji’s pants and underwear down, and he grasped his half-hard erection in hand, squeezing it firmly enough to draw out a moan from Ryuji.

“Fuck-” whined Ryuji when he felt calloused fingers surround sensitive flesh, tilting his head back and jolting into Akira’s touch with jerky thrusts.

Akira smirked at his reaction, and he’s a bit more confident as he began jerking Ryuji off in earnest. He felt his flushed cock twitch in his hand, a bead of precum already gathering at the tip as Ryuji bit his lip to stifle his moans. An obscenely loud whine escaped Ryuji when Akira began rubbing his thumb against the pink head, and Ryuji clapped his hand over his mouth, staring off to the side to avoid looking at Akira jerking him off.

“Who knew the big, bad pirate captain would be so sensitive?” chuckled Akira, relishing the muffled whines and whimpers.

“God, shut _up._ ” whimpered Ryuji as he grabbed fistfuls of the sheets for support. Akira decided to be a bit mean, and he lowered himself to swipe his tongue teasingly across the leaking slit, eyes never leaving Ryuji.

The reaction he received was explosive. Ryuji arched his back with a desperate groan, his eye screwed shut as he tried so desperately to keep his voice down while Akira dragged his tongue across the tip. Akira went a step further and took the head into his mouth, suckling on it before slowly taking in more of his length while trying not to gag.

“W-Wait, Akira! Mmm! S-stop-” whined Ryuji, squirming as Akira took in more and more of his length and his cock throbbing against Akira’s tongue. “I-I’m serious, you’re gonna make me c-cum!”

Wasn’t that the point? Akira eagerly bobbed his head around Ryuji’s throbbing length, and it only took a few seconds before he heard a loud cry followed by the salty spray of release splashing against his tongue. He pulled away and swallowed Ryuji’s seed, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand while admiring Ryuji’s blissed-out expression. “Well that was fast,” he remarked, stroking Ryuji’s spent cock a few more times and watching him spasm from oversensitivity. “Did you enjoy that?”

Ryuji didn’t say anything in response, too lost in his afterglow to register what he said and panting heavily. So cute…

“I’ll take that as a yes,” chuckled Akira. He planted a kiss on Ryuji’s hipbone before prying Ryuji’s legs apart, and he jolted when he felt his hand smooth over a rough surface where he expected soft skin. What the hell was that? He frowned once he noticed the scar that expansively covered Ryuji’s right thigh in a score of toughened pink flesh.

“This one looks like it came from a nasty wound. What happened?” he asked, curiously trailing his fingers over it until Ryuji smacked his hand away.

“Don’t!” exclaimed Ryuji at a very surprised Akira. It took a moment for him to regain composure, slumping back into the mattress with a sigh. “It’s… a long story. Just don’t touch it, okay? Brings back a lot of bad experiences when you do…”

“Oh, sorry,” apologized Akira sheepishly. He was at least well-mannered enough not to pry into it any more, and so he continued on as if nothing happened. Akira placed two fingers in his mouth, swirling his tongue around the digits, and after  he feels like they’re slippery enough he prodded them against Ryuji’s rim, feeling Ryuji jolt beneath his touch once he realized what Akira’s doing.

“A-Akira wait!” He gasped when he felt Akira begin to push in. His hands shot down to try and forcefully shove Akira’s fingers away. “I-I’m serious, stop! P-Please stop!”

Akira immediately pulls away, but Ryuji’s still clinging to his wrist to stop him from advancing any further, and looking up Akira can see the panic written across Ryuji’s face.

“What’s wrong? I thought you wanted to feel good.” asked Akira.

“T-There’s not- I don’t want anything in my… there.” finished Ryuji, drawing his legs close together. He looked slightly ashamed, although Akira didn’t really mind, honestly. Usually Akira was the one putting it in, but…

he could make an exception for Ryuji.

“Fine. Just sit there and don’t move, okay?” ordered Akira while he pushed his fingers against his own entrance instead. He winced when he felt his fingers worm their way inside, stretching him out while his other hand stroked Ryuji’s cock back into hardness. Fuck, he could feel Ryuji’s gaze on him, watching with flushed cheeks the way Akira’s finger slid in and out of his rim. When Akira felt like he was stretched enough he aligned himself with Ryuji’s erect length. He smirked down at him and teasingly dragged his gaping rim across the damp head, listening to Ryuji whimper at the minimal contact.

“Quit teasing, bastard.” whined Ryuji, and Akira was more than happy to oblige. He sank down on Ryuji’s cock with a gasp that mingled together with Ryuji’s choked-off wail. He clamped experimentally around the thick length filling him up so nicely, and Ryuji practically sobbed beneath him at the feeling of burning walls clamping around his aching length, his mouth parted as he gasped desperately for air. It was all too much, and Ryuji turned his head to the side in embarrassment, staring intently at the wall.

“Look at me Ryuji,” he ordered, cupping Ryuji’s cheek and turning his head to face him. “It feels good, doesn’t it?” he purred before leaning down for a kiss.

Ryuji moaned into the kiss, tongues dragging against each other, and his hands clung tightly to Akira’s waist as Akira began rocking his hips forward, slamming himself down onto Ryuji’s cock and bursts of pleasure running up his spine each time it slid past his prostate.

“Ah, a-ah! Akira!” cried Ryuji, his member twitching against Akira’s walls with each thrust.

“H-hah, you should see the look on your face, darling,” panted Akira as he continued to ride Ryuji’s cock. Fuck, fuck. Did he always reach the edge this quickly?

“D-Don’t call me that!” snapped Ryuji. Another whine left his mouth as Akira slowed to deep, rhythmic thrusting, sobbing when he felt Akira clamp tightly around him.

“I’ll call you whatever I please, captain.” retorted Akira. He pried Ryuji’s hand away from his waist and laced their fingers together, a bit surprised when Ryuji didn’t pull away from the contact but instead clasped their hands together. “Darling, beautiful, love of my life.” teased Akira. It felt easier to call Ryuji these names if he pretended it was a joke.

“God, just shut up.” whimpered Ryuji, turning his head to the side in embarrassment. A few more wild thrusts and he came inside of Akira with a harsh jerk forward, moaning loudly as he spilled his release deep inside of Akira’s pulsing hole. “A-Akira, Akira!”

Akira gasped when he felt cum splash against his walls, but he didn’t stop even as Ryuji whimpered desperately from overstimulation. His hand reached forward to jerk himself off, and he came with an obscene moan all over Ryuji’s chest, whiting out for a moment at the intensity of his orgasm and riding the overwhelming waves of hot pleasure. He slumps forward, his strained breaths  mingling together with Ryuji’s as they both gradually recovered from the intensity of their orgasms.

Eventually Akira has enough sense to pull himself off of Ryuji’s spent member with a sigh, cum leaking out and dribbling onto Ryuji’s pelvis before he flopped beside him.

“So… how did you… what’d you think?” finished Akira lamely.

Ryuji gave a slight nod in response. “It was, um, good.” he answered in a small voice.

Akira huffed in amusement at that, and his hand slid towards Ryuji’s again, clasping them together as they basked in their afterglow. A few minutes later and they finally regained enough energy to clean themselves off.

"Augh, got it all over my bed, too." mumbled Ryuji as he nestled back onto the mattress after they finished.

"Sorry, but that's not really something I can control." replied Akira while he rested himself beside Ryuji.

* * *

 

Ryuji didn’t say anything for a long moment, until finally: “So… I’m guessing you wanna know about the scar on my leg?”

  
“I’m curious about it, yes, but I won’t push you to talk if it causes you discomfort.” replied Akira, shifting to his side so that he’s facing Ryuji.

A faint blushed dusted Ryuji’s cheeks, his eye darting the side. “I-I mean, I don’t really mind talking about it anymore. Everyone else on board already knows about it, and now that we’re, u-um… together, I feel like you’re supposed to share that kind of stuff, yeah?”

Akira blinked at him. “So you admit that we’re officially lovers now?”

Ryuji flushed red at that. “Shut up! Don’t think about it like that, okay? Just…” he trailed off and resorted to a heavy sigh, his hand squeezing Akira’s. “Sure, whatever. But _no one_ can find out about this until I say so. That’s an order.”

Akira rolled his eyes at that. “Whatever you wish, captain.”

“Thank you,” and Ryuji looked like he actually meant it. “So um, yeah, my leg…” he shifted uncomfortably. “ A-And my eye, they’re um, kind of connected to why I became captain…” he paused for a moment, testing Akira’s reaction.

“Go on, I’m listening.”  murmured Akira. He could tell Ryuji was really pushing himself just to talk about this, his shoulders tense and lips pressed together.

Ryuji paused to take a deep breath. “... About a year ago, my old man sold me out to a rival crew to pay off some debts he had with them.”

“You’re serious.” it honestly wasn’t that hard to believe considering his own parents hadn’t been any better.

Ryuji nodded. “My ma… I don’t know what she ever saw in him. A shitty captain of an equally shitty crew who weren’t above doing some of the most brutal stuff possible to looted ships. I guess she thought there was potential in an alliance, so here I am as the result.” he wouldn’t look at Akira as he talked, but Akira didn’t say anything about it, hand still clasped together with Ryuji’s. “They went their separate ways after that. My ma took me in and raised me on the ship, but then eighteen years later the bastard decided to come crawlin’ back to her. Said he was in a bind with Kamoshida’s crew and asked her to help him out. Ma refused, so he sprung a last-minute ambush instead and nabbed me. Got my eye sliced out while trying to fight back” he gave a bitter laugh and self-consciously smoothed his fingers over the eyepatch. “Of course Kamoshida’s crew didn’t accept the payment, and that was the end of my old man and his crew. They kept me anyways, though, said it’d be good fun to beat the son of Captain Sakamoto to a pulp before ransoming me back to her.”  His fingers were clenching tight around Akira’s hand. “Bastards broke my leg, and I went through all kinds of hell before my ma’s crew managed to find me again. Another fight, and.... Ma took a bullet to the neck for me. We tried to save her but by the time everything was over, she was…” Ryuji couldn’t finish the sentence as he pressed his lips together in a thin line, and Akira could feel him trembling.

“I had no idea…”murmured Akira. It was all he could manage to say. He couldn’t even imagine what that must have been like. “Thank you for telling me, Ryuji, I know it wasn’t easy, but I think I understand you better after this.”

“Like I said, it’s fine,” said Ryuji stiffly. “I don’t mind talking about it anymore.”

“Liar,’ mumbled Akira, and he sensed Ryuji’s unease as he moved forward to kiss his cheek. “How can anyone be unaffected after going through something like that? It’s okay to still be upset about it.”

“I’m _not_ ,” growled Ryuji, sitting back up and letting go of Akira’s hand as he reached for his shirt. “I’ve got too much on my hands to be crying over something like that. I’m proving to my Ma’s crew that I’ll be as good a captain as she was. I won’t allow myself to stoop to my dad’s level.” he stood up, his back turned. “You can rest here if you want, I have to go check on Akechi.”

“Ryuji, wait.” Akira slipped in front of him, and Ryuji didn’t stop him as he carefully slid his fingers beneath the string keeping his eyepatch on, glaring at the offending hand from the corner of his good eye as Akira pushed the covering to the side. The patch parted to reveal a deep gash running from Ryuji’s cheekbone to his temple, sewn together by coarse scar-tissue. The iris of the damaged eye was milky white tinged with a barely visible brown.

Ryuji glared at him. “Happy now?”

Akira simply smiled and kissed him in response. “Handsome,” he teased, laughing brightly at how embarrassed Ryuji looked as he blustered out empty threats.

He ended up following Ryuji to Akechi’s cell, stealing furtive kisses along the way.

* * *

 

The bounty hunter looked completely different from when Akira saw him only a week ago. His brown hair was matted together in greasy locks limply clinging to his sunken face, dark circles beneath his eyes against pallid skin. He almost looked like a living corpse slumped against the wall of his cell.

“He refuses to eat unless we force him to,” grumbled Sae. “Honestly, it’s harder than expected to follow your orders of keeping him alive, captain.”

Goro let out a hollow laugh. “What’s the point? Sooner or later you’re just going to throw me overboard anyways.” He glanced between Ryuji and Akira. “So what is it that you want? Surely you must know I have nothing to offer.”

“Goro, you’ve been chasing our asses for as long as I can remember, even before I became captain.” asked Ryuji. “Why are you so insistent about this when you could be collecting so many other bounties?”

“That’s none of your business.” snapped Goro. He stood up and came closer until the only distance separating their faces was the metal bars of his prison.  “And if that’s all you wanted to ask then you might as well kill me now and get it over with, Sakamoto.”

Ryuji opened his mouth and was about to say something when Akira suddenly lunged for Goro’s coat, tearing off a gilded pin from the dirty white fabric.

“H-Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” protested Goro as he struggled in Akira’s grasp, still considerably strong despite his week of starvation.

“I’ve seen this before,” remarked Akira while he backed away to a safe distance. “This is Masayoshi Shido’s emblem.” he looked up at Goro again. “You work for him, don’t you?”  
Goro stiffened at that. “That’s right, and what about it?”

“Shido’s a powerful clergyman in the church. What would someone like him want with the Adventure Galley pirates?”

Goro’s defiant glare crumpled as he let out a heavy sigh. “What’s the point in hiding it?” he sat back down on the floor.  “A few years ago your mother robbed a ship carrying hefty sums in coins.” he began.

“Gonna have to be more specific,” muttered Ryuji. “We robbed a lot of ships just like that.”

“Well, as it turns out, that ship was being overlooked by Shido, and the coins you stole were actually tithings for the church. Word got out about what happened, and while trying to save face with church officials and the public Shido promised to bring your entire crew to justice in the name of God.” he smirked. “Not that any of the money would have gone to the church anyways. Anyone with enough common sense knows it would have went right into the pockets of him and his lackeys.”

“So from what I’ve heard, the only reason you’ve been sent after us is to stop some old bastard from looking bad?” growled Ryuji. “What a pain in the ass.”

Goro stared at the floor. “Think what you want, not like it matters anymore. I’ve failed.” he smiled bitterly. “So what are you going to do? Try to ransom me back to Shido? Don’t bother. I’m just a hired grunt, he won’t care what happens to me. Just kill me and get it over with.”

“How pitiful…” sighed Sae. “To think you would fall so far, Akechi.”

Ryuji looked thoughtful, crouching down to Goro’s level. “Does Shido still overlook shipments?”

“Yes. His orders entail that I avoid the routes his ships would take while pursuing you,” he answered, eyes cautiously inspecting Ryuji. “... I know what you’re thinking Sakamoto, and I refuse. There’s only one outcome for me in the end.” he lunged for Ryuji’s cutlass through the prison bars, his reflexes outpacing Ryuji’s as he yanked the sword out from its sheath and thrusted the tip directly at his own throat.

Fortunately Akira was faster than both of them.

He reached into the cell and caught Goro’s wrist before he could land the finishing blow, trembling from exertion as he tried to hold him still.

Goro glared at him. “Bastard,” he spat as Akira pried the blade from his fingers. A single drop of blood dribbled down from his neck where the cutlass had pierced him, but other than that he remained unscathed. “Seems I can’t even die by own accord.” sighed Goro. “Fine, I’ll comply. It’s better than being tortured for the information.”

“Good. Then you’ll have to follow my terms from now on,” replied Ryuji as Akira placed his cutlass back into his hand. “First things first. You’ll need to compensate me for the crew mate you killed.”

Goro sneered at that. “I can’t bring people back from the dead.”

“I know, which is why I’m forcing you to join my crew as a replacement.”

“Have you lost your mind, captain?!” objected Sae. “First Kurusu, and now you want to add this-”

“I know what I’m saying, Ms. Nijima.” interrupted Ryuji. “Look at him. What can he possibly do to hurt us without his crew and Shido’s support? We’re short on hands, so it’d be a waste to kill him.” he held up the prison cell key. “I’m not giving you a choice on this, Akechi. I’m forcing you to join.”

Goro gawked at all of them, until finally a wheezy laugh tore from his dry lips. “You’re as soft as your mother, Sakamoto.” he chuckled. He stood back up with a wide grin on his face. “Very well, I accept. If it means I can live to see that old fool reach his end, why not?”

“You’re awfully critical of Shido for someone who works under him.” remarked Akira. His hand was resting on his dagger in case Goro decided to try something while Ryuji unlocked the door.

“Don’t be ridiculous. He may put food on my table, but I hate power-hungry pigs like him the most.” remarked Goro, rubbing his bruised wrists after the chains fell off. “I was trying to work my way up to a high enough position where I could put an end to him without resistance. But that’s no longer possible now that I’ve failed in taking Sakamoto’s head.” he smirked. “So you better make it up to me, _Captain_.”

“No promises there,” scoffed Ryuji.

Sae didn’t approve of this at all. “Captain, do you really think the rest of the crew is just going to take this lying down? Hinata _died_ because of him!” hissed Sae.

“He knows all of Shido’s shipment routes, Sae! He’d be incredibly useful to us!” Ryuji sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. “Look, I’m not stupid. He’s going to have to lay low here until I figure something out. Just keep looking over him, please?”

Sae opened her mouth to continue arguing, but she shut it and gave a curt nod instead.

Akira also considered Ryuji’s decision rather reckless, but he didn’t object to it considering he made the same choice for Akira to set him free.

With the way things turned out, perhaps his decision had been for the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Thank you so much for reading!)


	10. Mutiny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Huehue only a couple more chapters left guys.  
> Thanks so much for sticking around this long. Reading your feedback always made my day ;u;  
> Hope you enjoy this chapter!!)

Ryuji didn’t respond when Akira wrapped his arms around his waist.

“Hey,” purred Akira, tucking his chin over Ryuji’s shoulder.

“What do you want?”  replied Ryuji. His eyes never left the map in front of him, but a considerable blush blossomed across his cheeks from Akira’s touch.

“I’m bored. How about you take a break from work and have some fun with me captain?” he murmured, breath ghosting Ryuji’s ear.

Ryuji jolted at that, desperately writhing in Akira’s embrace and crumpling the map in his hands. “B-Bastard! What the hell are you thinking?” he blustered.

Akira gave a good-natured laugh to his reaction before finally pulling away, leisurely taking a seat in Ryuji’s chair and basking in the sunlight filtering through the windows. “Anyways, I’m surprised you even have a jail cell if you just let anyone in there join your crew.” remarked Akira. The decision he had made a few days ago to add Goro as a crewmember seemed reckless, to be honest, and although Akira was grateful for Ryuji’s aid, he wanted him to be more cautious about making these sort of choices in the future.

Ryuji winced at Akira’s words. “I don't. Usually the people I throw in there are shitty adults who only had a bone to pick with my ma. Not kids who’ve clearly been dragged through enough.”

“Hey, I’m hardly a child.” pouted Akira teasingly, although he was actually surprised by Ryuji’s response. To think the captain would be so empathetic…

Akira stood up, stealing another kiss from Ryuji and smiling gently at him. “But… I can understand where you’re coming from, at least. So… um, thank you, for that.” he mumbled.

Ryuji flushed dark red at his words, nodding in response. He placed the map on the table. “We’ll be docking in two days, so start thinking about anything you might need, otherwise you’re going to have to wait a long time for the next opportunity to get it.”

Akira hesitated, suddenly remembering something very important he had left behind. “Then… would that also include people?”

“What do you mean?”

Akira self-consciously played with his bangs. “I… Futaba and I left someone very important behind in order to come here. I know it’d be a lot to ask if we requested bringing him on board, but if we could just manage to visit him again…”

Ryuji studied him, pity in his eyes. “It’s too risky for us to keep visiting the same place over and over again. I’m sorry, but…”

“No, it’s fine, I understand.” interrupted Akira. He smiled ruefully at Ryuji. “This is just the way things have to be.”

“Glad you understand, then,” mumbled Ryuji, although clearly discontent that he couldn’t fulfill Akira’s request. His hand reached forward to squeeze Akira’s, and Akira didn’t really think as he automatically brought it up to his lips to kiss it.

Ryuji didn’t flinch away this time. Instead, he actually pulled Akira closer, mouth pressed tightly together in embarrassment as he embraced him.

“Am I being taken hostage?” teased Akira, although rather flustered himself. “Oh somebody, help! I’m being taken away by a pirate!”

Ryuji simply rolled his eye in response, and Akira allowed him to take the lead as he crushed their lips together in a clumsy kiss.

Well, even if that was the case, Akira would be a very willing hostage right now, closing his eyes and leaning into the kiss.

* * *

 

Akira was having a perfectly good time until he found himself staring down the blade of a sword, the tip pressing into his throat.

“Not a sound, hands behind your back.” growled the wielder.

Akira stared disdainfully at him, but he complied with the man’s orders as one of his buddies went behind to tie his hands while another one gagged his mouth.

He had been caught completely off-guard, too giddy from spending the entire day with Ryuji to care about his surroundings as he headed back to his own room, and his usual cautious manner had dropped as he sauntered down the dark hallways, a fatal mistake that now left him at the mercy of these grunts. Shit, just what were they planning to do?

The most he could do was glare menacingly at them as they practically dragged him along, until eventually they reached a very familiar jail cell and unceremoniously tossed Akira.

“Be good, and we won’t kill you.” muttered the leader. They left behind one person to guard the door, and Akira sat there miserably until movement caught his attention in the corner of his eye. Looking to the side he could see Sae and Goro, all bound and gagged like him.

Just what the hell was going on?

They all  exchanged glances, and Akira noticed that while Sae’s hands were tied behind her back as well, Goro’s were in the front, shackles held together by a metal chain.

These idiots didn’t check Akira for weapons before they took him. Not that he blamed them; he always hid his knife in an inconspicuous place.

He tilted his head to the location of the dagger in his coat, and thankfully Goro got the message. As silently as possible, he crept towards Akira, fingers shifting through the coat until they wrapped around the handle of his dagger. He slowly stood up, carefully considering what angle to approach, and with a swift jab to the temple Goro caused the guard to collapse to the ground, unmoving.

“Dear god, you killed him.” remarked Akira, staring at the body as Goro cut his restraints off.

“I used the handle, he’s just unconscious… well, should be.” muttered Goro. He moved on to free Sae, and afterwards they all stood up, massaging their aching wrists.

“Hey, no fair, where’s my freedom?” complained Goro, hands still bound together by the metal cuffs.

“Well that’s one problem solved, the next is how to get out of this cell.” remarked Akira, ignoring Akechi. “Oh wait, nevermind. I know how.” he reached into his coat and plucked a lockpick from his pocket. He had taken the time to make several of these after he had failed his heist, not wanting to have a repeat of the first time he was captured. It had just been too tempting to use them all on those locked treasure chests begging to be opened.

He knelt down to fiddle with the lock, and in mere seconds he managed to unlock the door, holding it open for the other two. “After you,”

“Any chance you can do the same with these cuffs?” asked Goro.

Akira begrudgingly unlocked the cuffs.

“Damn it, what is with you people and leaving the cuffs on too tight?” remarked Goro, rubbing at his wrists again. He sighed and smoothed a hand through his hair. “Anyways, so what’s the plan? Those men are planning to overthrow Captain Sakamoto, and chances are we won’t be alive for very long after that.”

Akira’s eyes widened at that. “They’re planning to _what_?”

“Unfortunately, what Akechi says is true,” sighed Sae. “They found out that Captain Sakamoto was planning to let Akechi join the crew after _someone_ ,” she glared at Goro. “decided to take their cuffs off and leave the cell when I told them not to.”

“You weren’t around to escort me to the bathroom! Did you really expect me to go on the floor like a mutt?” protested Goro.

“Anyways, they slapped the cuffs right back on him, and I was overwhelmed by their power in numbers. We were supposed to be hostages if none of their other threats worked on Sakamoto. I guess they finally had enough, so they’re going to stage a mutiny and have one of them take over as captain instead.”

Akira swallowed thickly, rushing out of the door. “Then we don’t have time to waste! We have to stop them before they-”

“Not so fast!” Sae grabbed him by the wrist and yanked him back. “We don’t know how many people are in on this mutiny. For all we know, the entire crew could be a part of this!”  
“I don’t care! Ryuji’s in danger!”  
“We need to be careful or else we’ll end up dead before we can ever reach him.” argued Sae. “I know you’re worried, but it’ll be better if you stop for a moment and calm down before barging out there recklessly.”

Akira glared at her, but did as he was told. He took a deep breath to clear his thoughts, feeling a bit more steady after he did so. Sae was right, they needed to be discreet about this. He smirked at them. Luckily that was his specialty. “Alright, I’m good to go.” he turned around. “I have the entire layout of this ship memorized thanks to my heist, so just follow me and try not to make too much noise, okay?” But even as he said this, his heart was still pounding in fear.

He could only pray that they made it in time.

* * *

 

The door to Ryuji’s quarters had been broken in, the sturdy wood splintered inward from brute force and wind whistling through the cracks from the open night air.

Shit.

Akira peaked through the cracks in the wood. He could see Ryuji slumped over in his chair, mouth gagged and blood trickling from his temple. His eye was dull, all of the fight in him gone.

“You failed your duty as captain, kid. It’s a shame you never lived up to yer ma’s name.” sighed the man. He knelt down, squeezing Ryuji’s cheeks in his hand to force him to make eye contact, and Akira felt an overwhelming rage that made him want to slice the bastard’s hand off. “Like father, like son, eh? Making all these reckless decisions and forcing us to go along with them. I’m still indebted to your ma, so I won’t kill you, but you can’t be captain anymore.” He stood back up. “Throw him in the brigade. You can do whatever you want to the others.” They hoisted Ryuji out of his chair, and Akira scrambled away as they approached the door. Damn it, he needed to stall for time. He mustered up his courage and took a step in front of them as they opened the door.

“That’s enough!”

He could see the confusion written across their faces before it turned to anger. “Hey! How’d you get out of your cell?!”

“Who cares? I’m going to stop you right here and now!” Yeah right. No way he could take on this many people at once, but even still, looking at Ryuji’s battered form…

He wasn’t going to let them do whatever they pleased.

Akira took out his dagger, brandishing it at them and trying his best not to look at the evident fear written across Ryuji’s face for him. “Come on! Who’s ready to take some punishment?”

“Oh great, we can finally kill this bastard!”one pirate shouted gleefully. Several men rushed toward him at once, and he smoothly dodged two attacks, countering the other and slicing his dagger across the man’s shoulder. The man yelled in pain as he cut through flesh, but Akira didn’t care. He deserved it for hurting Ryuji. He actually thought he was doing pretty well until a blunt object bashed him in the arm, causing him to reel from the pain. Come on, just a little longer…

“Akira!”  
Thank god.

Looking up, he could see that Goro and Sae had succeeded in rounding up everyone who was trustworthy enough to fight alongside them. They all stood on the deck, weapons ready in hand.

“Jeez, being so reckless.” tutted Ann.

“And I was looking forward to a full night of sleep.” muttered Yusuke while sliding out his sword from its sheath.

“Damn it, you just don’t know when to quit, do you?” cried the leader.

“I’m afraid not,” replied Akira before whipping out a small bag from his coat and blasting a chalky powder in their faces, a cloud of dust rising in the air. He used their confusion to his advantage as he pulled Ryuji out from the cloud of suffocating dust, skittering to a halt beside the rest of his friends.

“Rest assured captain, it’s my turn to protect you, okay?” he smiled at Ryuji as he cut through his bonds. Ryuji remained silent, staring at the floor, but Akira didn’t have time to say anything to reassure him before he had to dive back into the fray.

He could only hope they hadn’t broken his spirit too much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Thanks so much for reading!)


	11. Folly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Next chapter may very well be the last one :3  
> Hope you enjoy reading this chapter!)

Despite the traitors’ advantage in numbers, Sae and Makoto had easily overpowered a third of their forces, leaving their remaining pirates in shock as they watched their friends crumple like ragdolls to the floor.

“Who’s next?’ growled Makoto, cracking her knuckles.

A moment of silence, and deafening cries of rage resounded through the air as the mutineers charged at them, weapons all raised to kill.

“Protect the captain!” ordered Sae, narrowly dodging the swing of a cutlass before twisting her opponent's arm; Akira couldn’t help but wince when he heard the bone snap in two.

“Everyone please be careful!” cried Haru. She wielded a battle axe with an elegantly-crafted handle, a soft smile dripping with malice spread across her face, and most of the pirates seemed afraid to approach her. Not that Akira blamed them. He had seen her easily cleave sturdy logs in two with that weapon, despite Makoto’s protests that she didn’t need to worry about her protection (“Don’t be silly! I want to fight alongside you if there’s ever trouble.” she had told Makoto in response.)

Sae and Makoto sent a few more flying, and the rest seemed deterred to fight them after the spectacle, slowly backing away.

“W-What are you doing?! There’s no way they can take us all at once!” commanded their leader. “Our heads are on the line if we don’t win this!”

Their leader’s orders jolted them out of their tenacity, and with another chorus of cries they charged again, a wild panic in their eyes.

“Foolish.” remarked Yusuke. There was no longer any coordination among the traitors who were fueled by their desperation to survive, and he easily apprehended a pirate who had recklessly charged into him, butting the handle of his sword into the man’s skull.

Akira and his allies were the calm in a storm of chaos, and the battle lasted a pitifully short amount of time, the mutineers’ leader left without a single man to defend him.

“S-Stay back!” stuttered the man, slashing his knife back and forth.

“A coward like you actually expected to be captain?” scoffed Ann. She was about to raise her whip and end it all when Ryuji grabbed her by the wrist. “H-Huh?”

“Let me handle this, okay?” mumbled Ryuji, swaying slightly on his feet.

“A-Alright.” Ann said. She watched as he shuffled past her, not even flinching when the man continued to swing his knife.

“I said stay back!” yelled the leader, and he tossed the knife away in favor of fumbling with the pistol stashed in his belt.

“Ryuji!” warned Akira, prepared to push him out of the way, but Ryuji was one step ahead of them, upon the man in a flash and bending his wrist back, a sickening crunch followed by a shriek resounding in the night air.

“Even though you had such high expectations, you always underestimated me. I could see the smug look in your eye each time I messed up or acted in a way different from my ma.” muttered Ryuji. He took the pistol and pointed it against the man’s head, causing him to quail beneath the cold touch of the barrel. “Well guess what? Ma’s not here anymore. This is _my_ ship, and you’re an idiot to think you could take over so easily.” He let go and stashed the gun away, leaving the man to snivel on the ground clutching his broken wrist. “If you’re so unhappy, you and the rest can get off at the next port, otherwise shut up and do as I tell you.”

And just like that it was over. Ryuji didn’t say another word as he calmly stood up, silently walking past them back into his quarters. The door wouldn’t shut properly anymore, so he left it open a crack behind him, light filtering through the slit and splashing against the deck.

“That’s it? Ryuji’s really gone insane if he’s gonna let them go scott-free.” sighed Ann.

Sae forced the leader back to his feet while Makoto rounded up the others, and everyone else was prepared to go check on the captain when Akira raised a hand to stop them. “I’ve got it from here. Let me handle this, please?”

No one objected, and they all returned to their rooms, exhaustion from waking up in the dead of night settling in.

Akira hesitated before pushing open the door, unable to hide his presence as the door hinges groaned loudly in protest. He found Ryuji seated at his desk, staring at his hands folded together on the table.

“Hey…” Akira said quietly. He went behind the chair and placed his hands on Ryuji’s shoulders. “We should get that cut on your head looked at.”

Ryuji ignored him, still staring down at his hands. “He’s right, you know.”

“Huh?”  
“Eita, he’s been one of my ma’s oldest crew members. Was never the bravest, but he was ma’s voice of reason. He told ma to leave me to Kamoshida, but she didn’t listen, and it cost her a bullet to the neck.” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Even after I killed Kamoshida right in front of him, he still wouldn’t accept me as the new captain. Felt like it was my fault ma died, which is right…” Akira can feel Ryuji trembling slightly beneath him. “I-I can’t do it. Every time I mess up they compare me to my shitty dad, and every time I actually do something right they just shrug it off and say my ma could’ve done better. How fucking unfair is that?”

“Ryuji…” Akira slid forward to embrace him, and a broken sob wracked through Ryuji’s chest. He must have been holding this in for so long…

“I don’t deserve to be captain,” choked Ryuji. “I’m gonna lead my crew to their deaths. F-Fuck, I’ve already had a handful die for me, and all I could do was watch, damn it.”  
“That’s not true.” murmured Akira. “You think your ma never lost any crew mates? Ryuji, when you led us against Goro’s crew, I saw a strong, capable leader who risked his life to protect his friends. We won because you spurred us into action.”

Ryuji didn’t say a word in response, clinging to Akira’s arms as more sobs broke through. Akira patiently held him while he cried, and a few minutes later Ryuji’s whimpers died down into weak sniffles. He wiped his face with his sleeve, still clinging tightly to Akira’s arm.

“You can’t sleep here. You’ll catch a cold.” murmured Akira. He was about to let go when...

“Akira.”

Ryuji turned to face him, and he caught Akira completely off-guard with his soft yet radiant smile.

“Thank you. I don’t know why, but whenever I’m around you it’s like I stop doubting myself. Maybe because you kept me busy by being such a pain in the ass all the time, but still.”

Akira winced at that. “Love you too,” he muttered. Still, he was relieved to see Ryuji no longer distraught, and he smiled as he grasped Ryuji’s hand. “Well then, captain. You’ll freeze if you try to sleep here. How about you spend the night in my room?”

“Huh? But there’s only one bed, where would I-” Ryuji cut himself off, a dark blush blooming across his cheeks. “I-I’ll sleep on the floor then.”

“Oh no, you’re not getting away from me that easily.” chuckled Akira. He grabbed a struggling Ryuji by the arm and practically dragged him out of his room, rolling his eyes when Ryuji tried to squirm away.

“A-Akira!”

* * *

 

“Hold still. I promise it’ll only hurt for a little while.” purred Akira, hands smoothing over Ryuji’s skin.

Ryuji winced, and the bed creaked beneath him as Akira slid the cotton swab over the cut on his temple. Dried blood soaked into the rubbing alcohol and dyed the fiber crimson with each stroke over the open skin.

“There, see? That wasn’t too bad.” chuckled Akira as he applied a bandage on the cut. Shadows danced across the walls of Akira’s room while he tossed the cotton swab away and placed the box of bandages back into his drawer. “Now then, ready to sleep?”

Ryuji nodded, and he bent over in preparation to crawl onto the floor before Akira held up a hand to stop him. “What the hell are you doing?”

“There’s only one bed. Like I said earlier, I’ll sleep on the-”

Akira shoved him back onto the bed, leaping onto the mattress and straddling him between his legs. “You’ll do no such thing. If there’s only one bed, then we’ll share it, understand?”  
Ryuji blushed at the compromising position, nodding his head and not even bothering to argue. Good.

Akira slipped off Ryuji’s legs, flopping unceremoniously beside him onto the bed. He yawned, overwhelming exhaustion suddenly weighing him down and making him too tired to even take off his clothes. Ryuji must have felt the same way, because he could see Ryuji struggling to keep his eye open, glancing at Akira and hesitating a moment before slipping off his eyepatch and tossing it to the side.

“There’s no reason to feel self-conscious about it. I think it makes you look tough.” mumbled Akira, smiling tiredly.

“Who said I was self-conscious about it?” huffed Ryuji. Still, he seemed to ease just a little, turning to the side so that he was face-to-face with Akira. The washed-out pupil of his bad eye was still fixed on Akira while his other eye stared to the side. “Hey Akira… I’m thinking about raiding Shido’s cargo. I was planning to ask Goro for his shipment routes tomorrow, b-but after today, I’m not sure anymore if that’s -”

Akira pressed a finger to Ryuji’s lips to silence him, distantly noting that he was still wearing his gloves. “Ryuji, you need to rest first. Worry about it in the morning, okay? And if you’re still troubled, I’ll help you out.” he mumbled.

Ryuji pressed his lips together, and he didn’t say another word as he slung an arm around Akira’s waist, pulling him closer.

Akira felt paralyzed, pressed against Ryuji’s chest and listening to the steady thump of his heartbeat.

“Um…” he managed to say after a few minutes.

No response. Ryuji must have fallen asleep,the sound of his breaths evening out into a slow, peaceful rhythm.

Akira sighed, and he slid his arm around Ryuji in return, closing his eyes and allowing sleep to blissfully take over.

Unlike his previous trysts, this time Akira wasn’t planning to slip away in the morning.

* * *

 

Goro didn’t even object, openly telling Ryuji every single detail he knew about the cargo Shido’s ships were carrying and the expected routes they were going to take.

“I’ve given you what you need, so in return I need you to do one thing for me.” muttered Goro. His eyes were cold, but there was also a fiery hatred burning so intensely in his gaze that it sent chills down Akira’s spine. “Shido’s planning to attend a coronation by the church in the same city, and he always travels on a different ship a safe distance behind the cargo  just in case pirates like you tried to carry out a raid.” he idly thumbed at the handle of his sword. “I want you to give me a boat so that I can kill the bastard while you guys enjoy taking the spoils.”

“No,” answered Ryuji flatly. “Are you kidding me? A ship like that’s bound to be filled with guards. You’re basically asking me to give you a death sentence.”

Goro smiled ruefully. “I’m not afraid of death, Sakamoto, and I’m not going to endanger you or your men for a suicide mission. I’ve already caused you enough trouble as it is.” He lowered his head, staring at the floor. “Please trust me. This is a chance that I can’t allow to pass.”

Ryuji glared at him, finally giving in with a heavy sigh. “Fine. You better not screw it up.”

Akira couldn’t believe it. “Ryuji, that isn’t wise! You’ll take the whole blame if Shido dies! Are you really going to gamble your life on someone who tried to kill you before?!” he snapped. Was Ryuji even thinking about this logically?  
“I’ve already got the whole navy on my ass thanks to my ma’s reputation, it really can’t get much worse.” retorted Ryuji. “And besides, it’s his life. If he wants to die tryin’ to take some rich bastard’s head, let him.”

Akira couldn’t think of a proper response to Ryuji’s sheer bluntness, and he settled with folding his arms across his chest. Unbelievable.

Goro smiled at both of them. “I understand your doubts, but please believe in me Kurusu. After all, I picked up a thing or two watching you sneak around.” he teased.

“Oh please, that gaudy white outfit of yours would catch someone’s attention from a mile away.” scoffed Akira. Goro actually looked offended, and Akira couldn’t help but feel smug about his jab for a brief moment. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “But… I do wish you the best of luck. Try to come back to us alive, okay?” he mumbled.

“I appreciate the sentiment Kurusu.” chuckled Goro. He stood up and headed for the door. “Well then, I’ll be in my room if we need me. Meanwhile, why don’t you two lovebirds spend some time together? We have a week before we get there after all.” he suggested casually.

A wave of embarrassment crashed over Akira, the tips of his ears burning, and he was sure Ryuji mirrored his own dumbfounded expression. “H-Huh? What made you think that we’re- that me and Ryuji are-”

“Oh please, it’s so painfully obvious that the entire crew knows by now. You two really aren’t that discreet, you know.” leered Goro. He gave a pleasant smile. “But don’t worry, a good number of your crew mates are already prepared to slice Kurusu’s head off if he ever betrays you, _captain_.” And with that, he shuts the door behind him, leaving just the two of them in Akira’s room.

Ryuji let out a small cough, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “U-Um, well then. Guess we don’t have to keep it a secret anymore. H-Heh.”

Akira nodded silently, carding a hand through his hair.

At the very least, it meant that most of the crew had accepted Akira enough to trust him around their captain.

* * *

 

Six days had gone by sooner than Akira expected, and tomorrow would be the promised day that they raided Shido’s ship.

Akira noticed Ryuji sneaking up on him out of the corner of his eye, but he didn’t give an indication that he saw him, continuing to write until he felt a chin tucking over his shoulder.

“Need something, captain?” he asked, setting his pen down.

“What are you writing?” responded Ryuj.

“Just a letter. I was planning to send it once we reached land.” he turned to nuzzle against the soft locks of Ryuji’s hair. “More importantly, there’s something you want, I can tell.”

Ryuji hesitated, and he quickly brushed his lips against Akira’s neck, causing him to jolt at the contact.

“R-Ryuji? Is everything alright?” stuttered Akira.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. I just… want to enjoy this while I still can.” he muttered. “If there’s a chance that I don’t make it out alive, I wanna let you know that I’m glad I met you.”

Akira could feel the tips of his ears burning from those words, and he cupped Ryuji’s cheek to give him a proper kiss. “I feel the same. Remember that I’ll always be grateful for everything you’ve done for me.” He didn’t deserve a second chance at life, and yet Ryuji had been willing to give that to him. There was nothing Akira could do that would be enough to repay him.

Ryuji broke into a sheepish smile, and Akira returned it with a smile of his own before kissing him again. More kisses, the sound of a chair scraping against the floor followed by shoes scuffing across the floor as Akira stood up, and soon enough Akira found himself pinning Ryuji to the bed below him, lips puffy and red.

“A-Ah, I’m sorry- I’ll-” he tried to get off only to be yanked forward by Ryuji’s hand in his collar.

“Don’t stop now. Please.” panted Ryuji, spreading his legs to give Akira more access.

Holy shit. Akira pressed his lips together and nodded, and he hastily unbuttoned Ryuji’s coat to meet Ryuji’s command. God, seeing the pale skin beneath was still just as beautiful the second time around, and Akira didn’t hold back as he kissed and nibbled on whatever expanse of Ryuji’s chest he could reach, licking over his pert nipples before tugging on them between his teeth. He kissed over the fading scar slashed across his sternum before unbuttoning Ryuji’s pants, but this time Ryuji grasped his wrist before he could dip his hand inside.

“We can try it the other way around, if you want.” mumbled Ryuji, although it took a moment for Akira to interpret what he was implying.

“Oh, u-um, if that’s what you want, then..” he gulped, and Akira slipped off Ryuji’s pants so that he could trace his finger around his rim. “Are you sure?”  
“Just hurry up and do it, Akira!” snapped Ryuji. He seemed nervous, hands fisted tightly into the sheets, and Akira couldn’t help but smile. So cute…

“Alright then, whatever you want, captain.” he took out the bottle of lubricant he kept in his drawer and dribbled it over his fingers.

“You actually bought something like that on board? Can’t believe how shameless you are.” teased Ryuji playfully, although nervously fidgeting with the corner of the sheets.

“Everyone has needs that they must satisfy.” he mumbled, incredibly embarrassed. He had just wanted to be prepared in case he had met anyone on board who caught his eye, which luckily seemed to be the case now.

He slipped one finger inside of Ryuji’s hole, noting how tight it felt as he tried to push deeper inside. “How is it?”

“Ah…” Ryuji turned his head to the side, taking in shallow breaths while Akira experimentally thrusted the finger in and out. “Feels weird, but it’s fine, I guess.”

“Good. I’m going to add another one then.” he pushes another one inside, and he could barely move his fingers, slowly sliding them in and out until gradually Ryuji began to relax at the sensation. Once he was sure Ryuji had accustomed to the feeling, Akira decided to start curling his fingers up, trying to search for a certain spot…

“Ah!”

Ryuji yelped, hands scrambling against the mattress and face bright red.

“Oh? Is it here?” Akira curled his fingers up in the same spot. and Ryuji’s back arched off the bed as he let out a strangled moan.

“A-Akira!” whimpered Ryuji, legs trembling, and Akira felt his arousal spike at the sight of Ryuji being so vulnerable. He was the only one who would ever see Ryuji like this, and the very thought made heat flare up throughout his entire body.

“See? It feels good doesn’t it?” purrs Akira, jolting his fingers against the swollen bundle of nerves over and over again.

Ryuji sobbed, too focused on the electricity sparking through his veins to give a coherent response. He shivered when Akira eventually withdrew his fingers, and Akira didn’t miss the way his rim twitched from the lack of stimulation.

He unzipped his pants, cock already stiff from drinking in Ryuji’s reactions, and he slid the head against the swollen ring of muscle while Ryuji stifled another whimper beneath him.

“It’s okay, I’ve got you.” soothed Akira. He laced his fingers together with Ryuji’s while he slowly pushed in, Ryuji’s grip tightening in response while they both moaned into the open air. Fuck. Fuck. Ryuji was unbelievably tight, hot walls pulsing around him with each thrust forward. It felt heavenly.

Eventually, he managed to slide in all the way to the hilt, and looking down he could see tears pricking the corner of Ryuji’s eye, lips pressed tightly together to stop any sound from escaping.

“Is it too much, Ryuji? Do you want me to pull out?”  
Ryuji shook his head. A small “please,” dragging its way through his lips. Akira smiled, and he leaned down to kiss Ryuji while he began to pick up a steady temple, slow and careful.

Ryuji whined with the first thrust forward, and Akira moaned loudly when he felt Ryuji clamp even tighter around his aching member. Too much, there was no way he would last long like this.

“R-Relax a bit, Ryuji. I promise I won’t hurt you.” he panted while still rolling his hips forward. His cock must have brushed past Ryuji’s sweet spot, because at that moment Ryuji tossed his head back and let out a high-pitched yelp, trembling violently. Akira paused, rolling his hips again just so, and he felt Ryuji spasm beneath him.

“Mm...T-There!” begged Ryuji, his stiff cock leaking a string of precum down his stomach.  
“Right here?” purred Akira. He began fucking Ryuji in earnest now, pounding into the tight heat of his hole.

“Akira!” Ryuji sobbed, crying out each time Akira slammed into his prostate. He pulled Akira in for another deep kiss to muffle his own noises, and Akira groaned as their tongues dragged together, unable to think coherently while searing flames consumed every nerve in his body. It was beyond anything he had ever experienced before. This wasn’t another shallow fling he would abandon the next day: this was passion, pure love in its most lustful sense.

Akira found himself chanting Ryuji’s name between kisses like a prayer, and he reached down to stroke Ryuji’s cock with a shaky hand, hips stuttering when he heard Ryuji whine at the touch and buck desperately forward into the delicious friction.

Ryuji came first with an unrestrained wail, splashing their stomachs with white seed, and Akira followed closely behind as he cried out in pure bliss, his cock twitching with each wave of release that filled up Ryuji’s hole to the brim. He thrusted forward a few more times until finally he grew completely spent, collapsing on top of Ryuji and panting heavily. He rested for a few minutes before checking on Ryuji. “So what did you think?”  
“Good…” mumbled Ryuji, his sweaty bangs clinging to his forehead. “But the sheets below me feel kind of sticky now.”

“I’ll clean it up later.” promised Akira. For now, he kicked the dirty sheets to the side and wrapped clean ones around both of them, a heavy sigh breaking through as he nuzzled against Ryuji.

“Have you ever been outside of your country?” asked Ryuji after a few moments of silence passed.

“I’ve been to neighboring ones for heists, but I never stray too far from home. Why do you ask?”

“Just wanted to know. After we take care of Shido I’d like to take you around trying different foods every country has to offer.” muttered Ryuji. He gave an anxious smile. “Is that… kind of silly?”  
Akira let out a huff of laughter and kissed his cheek in return. “Not at all.”

Neither of them wanted to talk about the possibility that one of them might not return from Shido’s raid, which was fine with Akira. If these were the last moments they would spend together, then Akira preferred to use it to discussing a future full of hope over one filled with despair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Thanks for reading! :D)


	12. Resolution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Welp, here it is. The final chapter.  
> Hope you enjoy reading!)

Futaba stood beside Ryuji while they perused over a yellowed map, discussing the best possible angle to attack, and Akira could only watch in mild amazement at their joint effort in creating a solid strategic front.

“So if we chase the cargo ship here.” Futaba’s finger drifted over to a narrow channel of water illustrated on the map.  “They’ll be forced to stop or else crash their ship right into the rocks. We’ll have them pinned right where we want them.”

“Impressive. Akira wasn’t kidding when he said you were a master strategist.” remarked Ryuji. 

Futaba smiled mischievously, leaning back in her chair. “I know, but really it only applies to navigation. Shido’s ship is bound to be guarded, so I’ll entrust the combat stuff to you.”

Ryuji nodded, staring down at the ground, and it was easy to see the shadow of doubt that momentarily washed over him. Ambushing the ship meant potential casualties, another heavy burden that Ryuji would have to carry on his shoulders. His gaze flickered to Akira, and he stood up a bit straighter. “You can count on me.” he asserted, and Akira quietly slipped out of the room as they continued to deliberate over the plan. He trusted the two to get them through this safely.

As he sauntered down the halls, Akira paused, and the sound of a footstep echoing a beat too late behind him indicated that someone was following him. He turned around, smiling pleasantly. “Can I help you?”

Sae stood in the hallway, arms folded across her chest. “I just wanna have a quick chat.”

“Well keep talking then. I’m all ears.”

“I just wanna say … um, thank you.” she muttered, sweeping a strand of hair behind her ear. “Maybe you’ve already noticed, but he’s been a lot more confident the past few days, something he hasn’t been since his mother was still alive. So…thank you for bringing back his old self.”

Akira stared at her, and he ran his fingers through his hair, a small sigh escaping his lips. “All I did was push him in the right direction. Ryuji was the one who changed himself for the better.” he turned away. “Regardless, I appreciate the sentiment.”

“Kurusu-san!”

He didn’t bother turning around.

“Ann wanted me to leave you a message. ‘Break his heart and I’ll whip you to shreds.’ Those were her words.” said Sae, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Akira couldn’t help but shiver, an image of Ann flaying her whip through some poor man’s back during the fight flashing through his mind. “Duly noted.”

And with that, he hastily walked away before Sae could potentially give him any more messages.

* * *

 

A thick fog settled over the ocean on the day of their ambush, giving both advantages and disadvantages for the pirates waiting to strike. The advantage was that they could easily hide their presence for the surprise attack, the disadvantage was that the cargo ship could slip past them just as easily.

Akira tilted his head, eyes scanning over the rolling white fog through his binoculars.

“Look!” Makoto cried. 

Numerous heads turned at once to see where she pointed, and sure enough the faint silhouette of a stout ship could be seen gliding through the fog.

“Right then. Fire the cannon!” ordered Ryuji.

A deafening bang followed by the smell of gunpowder, and a few seconds later the cannonball crashed into the water mere meters away from the cargo ship.

More cannon shots, one after another, and soon the targeted ship had no choice but to steer into the direction the pirates were trying to forcefully dictate.

“Follow the compass! Lead them into the straits!” cried Futaba. “Akechi, now’s your chance!”

Goro wordlessly slipped into the small dinghy roped to the side of the ship. His eyes locked with Akira’s.

“Don’t disappoint me. Come back alive.” muttered Akira.

Goro looked surprised, slowly breaking into a smile. “I can say the same to you, Mr. Gentleman Thief.” He untied the ropes, and down he fell into the water with an audible splash, sailing away to Shido’s ship not too far behind.

Akira joined Ryuji on the balcony, and he couldn’t help it when he grabbed Ryuji’s hand, squeezing it tightly. Ryuji didn’t resist him, fingers clamped around Akira’s palm just as tightly.

Soon the cargo ship began firing retaliatory cannon shots, but their power was meager compared to the rows of cannons equipped by the Adventure Galley. Akira winced when a spray of water soaked his face and the entire front of his coat.

Further and further they pushed the ship, until finally the looming jagged rocks of the strait indicated that any further would certainly result in disaster.

The cargo ship slowed to a halt, the sound of an anchor splashing into the sea, and the Adventure Galley followed suit as they anchored directly beside the smaller ship.

There was no time to waste, and Ryuji let out a yell as he charged forward, their hands slipping apart as Akira rushed past one guard and headed straight to the stairs leading to the lower decks instead. In the confusion of the battle, he would use it as a cover to steal as much loot as possible. Several others followed him down, and Akira barely had room to move in the narrow hallways as he slashed his knife through the shoulder of one guard rushing to intercept them. One pirate was clever enough to take a terrified merchant as hostage, but Shido’s cargo apparently took priority over human lives as one guard promptly sliced the hostage across the chest, the man slumping into the pirate’s arms and staining his sleeves crimson.

Boiling hot rage caused Akira to slice the guard’s ear clean off in turn, and the rest of their opponents quickly fell defeated as well. Thankfully it seemed that most of security had moved onto the main deck in preparation to intercept the brawling pirates, and after breaking down the doors they found what they were looking for.

“Come on, grab as much as you can!” ordered Akira, hastily shoveling in handfuls of coins and valuable-looking artifacts into his bag. He paused when he spotted a small glint of silver from a glass box, and upon closer inspection he found a ring crafted from sturdy twists of silver resting inside, a glittering yellow diamond placed as the centerpiece. He swiped the ring and stashed it inside his own pocket instead of inside the bag with the rest of the goods, and by the time they finished, they had practically sweeped the entire room clean, not a single coin left to be found. 

They rushed back up to the main deck, and Akira didn’t dare look too closely to see how many bodies were laying on the floor or to see if one of the bodies was a certain hotheaded captain.

He leapt to the safety of the Adventure Galley, and his companions yelled at the rest of the crew to retreat.

More and more pirates joined them on deck, and the sound of chains rattling followed a few moments later as they raised the anchor and prepared to escape.

The ship wouldn’t dare to follow them at the risk of heading straight into the Adventure Galley's line of fire, but even so, Akira finally let go of the breath he had been holding in after the merchant ship faded to a speck on the ocean. His eyes wildly scanned over the brigade full of wounded people.

“Has anyone seen the captain?!” he yelled, panicked. He couldn’t find him anywhere, and for an agonizing moment Akira found himself teetering on the precipice of grief when a hand suddenly grabbed him by the shoulder from behind, causing him to yelp.

“Relax! It’s just me,” panted Ryuji. He let out a huff of laughter while he slung his arm over Akira’s shoulder. “Heh, you should’ve seen the look on your face. Priceless.” Dried blood caked a small gash on his left cheek, but other than that Ryuji looked relatively unharmed.

“Shut up,” muttered Akira, face burning in embarrassment. Still, the relief that washed over him was unavoidable when he reached back to kiss Ryuji on the lips, wincing in pain. “Ow.” he had split his lower lip when a guard punched him in the face.

“Hey loverbirds! Mind helping us out instead of eating each other’s faces?” called Ann, dragging an unconscious man to a stretcher.

They hastily drifted to opposite sides of the deck after that, and Akira managed to find Futaba in the midst of the confusion.

“Any word from Goro?” he asked while she bandaged Yusuke’s arm.

Futaba shook her head, lips pressed together. “No sign of Shido’s ship either. We can’t stay here for long, so if he doesn’t show up in the next hour then…”

Futaba didn’t need to finish her sentence, and Akira sighed as he turned away, searching the steely gray ocean for a small boat possibly riding the waves.

An hour passed and there was still no sight of Goro, and Ryuji solemnly nodded at the helmsman, the ship drifting away into the thickest area of fog.

Neither of them spoke a word, Akira trying to ignore the tightness in his throat, and Ryuji opened his mouth to say something when-

“Look!”   
They rushed to the railing, and sure enough a small boat sailing towards them could be seen, the silhouette of a man waving towards them at the front.

They tossed a rope down to Goro, and with the help of several other men they lifted him back to the deck.

Goro let out a sigh of relief as he hopped on board, tying up the utility boat before turning to face them. “Sorry I’m late. Shido was a bit more prepared than I expected.” he muttered, a tired smile on his face. He sighed again, and for a moment Akira thought he was completely fine until he collapsed face-first onto the deck with a dull thud, a pool of blood steadily growing beneath him.

“H-Hey!” Ryuji crouched down beside him, checking for his pulse. “We need a stretcher over here!” he yelled. 

They hastily carried Goro away, and Akira’s eyes were transfixed on the puddle of blood, a black smear across the floor from where they dragged him onto the stretcher.

“He’s going to be okay… right?” asked Futaba nervously.

Akira ruffled a hand through her hair, trying to smile reassuringly at her. “Don’t worry, okay? I know he’ll pull through…”

Futaba nodded, but she still looked worried as she walked away. Slowly the crowd dissipated from the deck, everyone retreating to tend their wounds or rest, and Akira grabbed Ryuji by the wrist before he could leave. “Wait.”

“Something wrong, Akira?”

Akira hesitated, and he slowly reached into his pocket, pulling out the ring he stole earlier and placing it in Ryuji’s palm. “I, um, found this while we were down there. Thought you’d like it so…” mumbled Akira.

Ryuji stared at the ring. “Oh. Um… thanks.” he slipped the ring onto his finger. “You’ve got great taste.” he chuckled, smiling brightly at Akira. “I’ll be sure to take good care of it.”

Akira silently nodded, turning away before his face turned any redder. “I’m glad you like it…”

“Hey.”

Akira turned his head, and he barely had time to think before Ryuji was pulling him into a kiss. He could barely register what was happening, and for one blissful moment his mind was completely blank, melting against Ryuji’s lips.

“Settle with that for now, okay? I promise I’ll repay you for the gift.” said Ryuji, smiling mischievously.

“Y-You don’t have to… negates the point of a gift,” mumbled Akira, still loopy. God, he felt like he was floating…

“Shut up and accept it.” grumbled Ryuji. He walked away, leaving Akira alone on the deck, and a few minutes later Akira stumbled down the stairs, dazed.

* * *

 

A few weeks passed since the plunder, and fortunately no one succumbed to their injuries, not even Goro, miraculously, who had been struggling at death’s door for days. Goro idly chatted with Makoto on the main deck, his arm still in a cast and sling. 

Akira leaned over the railing, staring at the mass of land ahead while the ship sailed closer. 

“This place looks rather familiar.” he remarked.

“Dunno what you’re talking about. We only stopped here to restock on supplies.” replied Ryuji casually.

Akira rolled his eyes, but he didn’t say another word as they pulled up to the painfully-familiar shore of a cove. The sand beneath his feet shifted from his weight as he walked across the beach, and Ryuji stared down at him from the deck. 

“You’ve got twelve hours.” exclaimed Ryuji.

Akira smiled in return, and a rush of excitement took control of his legs as he ran towards the city, his destination already set in his mind.

* * *

 

The bell chimed softly when he opened the door to the pub. Inside, everything looked exactly the way he left it, albeit a little dustier. He sat at the countertop. 

“Welcome.” Sojiro greeted while he put the book in his hands aside, not bothering to inspect the face beneath the hood to closely. “What can I get you today?”

“Just a cup of black coffee please. Colombian beans, if you can.” replied Akira quietly.

Sojiro paused for a moment before shuffling over to the stove, and soon the rich scent of coffee filled the air. It felt overwhelmingly nostalgic. 

“You seem to know your coffee, sir. Are you a fanatic like I am?” joked Sojiro.

“I only learned from the best.” answered Akira in a low mumble, unable to help but smile.”This place is less tidy than I remember. I visited a few months ago.”

“Hmph, well I’m short on hands right now, so if you know anyone young who’s willing to work, send them over I suppose.” Sojiro said, his back turned towards Akira while he poured the coffee into a cup. 

Akira waited until Sojiro turned around to pull down his hood, although he probably should have waited until after he set the cup down, because Sojiro promptly dropped it upon seeing his face, glass shattering across the floor and spilling coffee everywhere.

“Akira..? Is that really you?”

Akira smiled nervously. “Hi there, Boss.”

Sojiro stepped out from behind the counter, and he hastily took off his glasses to wipe at his eyes. “Jeez, what took you so long? Making an old man worry…”

“Sorry…” was all Akira could say, throat tightening. “Did you get our letters?”

“I did, but who knows what could’ve happened in the days after you sent them. At least pay me a visit sooner.” he scolded, although his tone wasn’t cruel. He glanced behind Akira. “And Futaba… she didn’t come?”   
Akira shook his head. “She’s waiting for you on the ship, after all.”

“Huh?”Sojiro folded his arms across his chest.

“Come with me, Boss.”

“Are you saying  that you want me to abandon the business I dedicated my life to running and join you on a ship full of notorious pirates?” he scoffed, smoothing a hand over his hair. “Jeez, you kids are really something else.” he muttered. A heavy sigh escaped him as he sat down on a stool. “... is there a kitchen on the ship?”

“There is.” answered Akira. “God knows we could use another person who can actually cook.”

“And you kids are provided with a place to sleep?”

“The Adventure Galley has surprisingly comfortable living spaces.”

Sojiro sat there, deep in thought, until finally he stood back up. “Can’t be helped. If it means I can keep a closer eye on you two, then…” he smirked at Akira. “Give me a few minutes to pack my things.”

* * *

 

“Hope you don’t get seasick.” warned Ryuji while they pulled up the anchor.

“Hpmh, that’s probably the least of my worries right now.” replied Sojiro. He stood on deck with Akira and Futaba, watching the shoreline drift farther away.

“I’m sorry we made you leave so suddenly, b-but there’s sure to be a lot of people who will like your coffee!” offered Futaba, scuffing her boot against the deck.

“Ever since you rascals left, the officers started hanging around more often, scaring off customers. I think a relocation was just the thing I needed.” chuckled Sojiro. “Just try not to kill any more church officials or the like.”

“That wasn’t even us!” protested Futaba. She huffed, turning away and heading towards the stairs. “Jeez, have more faith in us, will ya?” she trotted down the stairs, and Sojiro hastily followed after her, voicing out a flustered apology.

“Nice man, isn’t he?” remarked Ryuji. He hesitated, joining Akira at the railing. “He’s right though. Things are gonna be hectic for a while now, at least until the uproar about Shido’s murder dies down.” he took a deep breath. “I understand if you want no part of this, so just give the word and we’ll drop you off somewhere safe.”

Akira scoffed. “I’ve come this far. You really think I’ll run away now?” he reached for Ryuji’s hand and laced their fingers together. “Wherever you take me, I’ll stay right by your side. Understand, Captain?”

Ryuji pressed his lips together, squeezing Akira’s hand in return, and Akira could feel the ring’s smooth silver brush against his skin. “Okay.” he murmured.

They stared out at the ocean for a long time, hands resolutely clasped together, until a rough shove from behind nearly caused them to tumble into the water.

“Do you two enjoy staring at an empty sea?” teased Ann, scooting to Ryuji’s side. She placed her hands on the railing and closed her eyes, the wind causing her hair to flutter gently. “Mm, the breeze feels so good.”

Looking around Akira realized that they were no longer alone, Makoto and Haru joining him on the railing with Haru pulling along a reluctant Goro. Futaba slid up to his side, while Yusuke stood behind her, observing the waves within a frame created by his fingers. Morgana wrapped himself around his leg, purring profusely.

“Well, something like this is more interesting with company.” chuckled Akira.

They observed the rolling waves a bit longer, and for the first time since he came on board, Akira truly felt at ease.

His future was still uncertain, but at the very least, the realization that he was surrounded by companions who would support him was enough to give him comfort.

He closed his eyes, breathing in the crisp air and feeling the cool breeze dance across his skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Wow oh wow I can't believe I'm actually done with this : 'D  
> To everyone, thank you so much for hanging on to this story til the end. Love you guys <3  
> I might write a few drabbles in the future, but for now, it's come to an end.  
> Thanks so much for reading!!)

**Author's Note:**

> (Yay, chapter one is done!  
> Thanks for reading ! :D)


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